Tainted Blood
by Seldavia
Summary: The seven-year war has ended, and Zelda lost. After she lays Link to rest, she decides to stay in Hyrule, even if it is now in the hands of another. After all, at the End, she has nothing left to lose...does she?
1. Chapter 1

Zelda had failed.

She kneeled beside the corpse of the boy whose life she had ruined, as the man who killed him bellowed and shrieked in rage. Ganondorf had torn the Triforce both from her and from Link's body, yet once reunited, it disappeared. And so the three of them remained in that room, all that they had worked for now gone. "How is this possible?" Ganondorf demanded over and over again. "How can it be?"

Something snapped in Zelda's mind, irritation taking hold now that she had passed the end of everything. "Don't be a fool. You're not worthy of it. You never were. You should have known that the first time."

He turned on her, gathered magic on one hand to finish her. But it fizzled and died, and he fell to one knee. Zelda ignored him and turned back to the corpse. The least she could do, she decided, was give him a proper burial. Using what little magic she had left, she draped the body over her shoulder and struggled to her feet. The little fairy that had been following him all this time rose slightly, then settled back into his hair, as if unable to leave him.

"Where are you going?" Ganondorf demanded. He hauled himself to his feet, blood dripping in his eyes. It had been a close fight. But then, Zelda thought to herself, close is the same as failure in this case.

"I am going to lay him to rest," she replied, and turned back with a challenge in her eyes. "Or will you take that from us as well?"

"You-" He stumbled, then straightened, blinking in the dim light. Despite her best efforts, Zelda's heart grasped at an ounce of hope. Where madness had filled his eyes before, there was now only confusion and a little fear. He looked at the corpse and then at her, his brow furrowing with suspicion.

She read the look in his eyes and shook her head. "I would not dishonor his memory with such a fate," she snapped. "I don't know why my ancestors created those ReDeads to guard their tomb. It's over; you've won. You know there is no magic to bring back the dead."

She could say no more after that. Not just Link's soul was lost; the Sages would dissipate in the Sacred Realm as well, their task unfinished. Darunia, Rito, Link's friend Saria, and her own dear Impa; all of them gone.

"Nabooru." Zelda stopped and turned, startled to hear Ganondorf speak her name. He stared into space, then fixed his gaze on her. "She's gone, isn't she?"

"Of course she is," Zelda snapped, mockery creeping into her voice. "Thanks to you."

He said nothing, merely staring forward with a confused expression on his face. Zelda left him.

* * *

><p>She entered the Forest Temple as Sheik, as it was the only way she could get anywhere. She brought Link's body to the innermost room, the same place where Saria had met her death. Zelda placed the body on the Triforce mark in the center, placed his hands over his chest.<p>

The little fairy rose into the air. "I'm sorry, Princess," it said. "We tried…we really did."

"I know…" Her eyes blurred with tears. "It's not your fault. It's mine."

"What will happen now?"

"I don't know." Zelda wiped her eyes. "There's nothing more I can do."

Floating back up into the air, the fairy asked, "You should leave, before he finds you again. You should go to one of the neighboring kingdoms. They'll take you in."

"No." Zelda's resolve hardened, and she stood. "Hyrule has fallen, but I am still its Princess. Regardless of what comes, I will not leave my country."

* * *

><p>"You came back."<p>

Zelda glanced up from where she sat, at the ruins of the former Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf frowned down at her, his eyes muddled with confusion. "Of course I have. This is my country. There is nowhere else I will go…unless you cast me out."

"Hyrule is now mine, by right of conquest," he stated, folding his arms.

"What is left of it," Zelda muttered.

"I will not send you away. But I will not tolerate any further treason, either."

"Very well." Zelda stared out over the rubble of the castle. "And what will you do now, with your shattered kingdom?"

"The Hero of Time is dead," Ganondorf answered with finality. "All threats to me are now gone. I will take this kingdom and rebuild it, and I will have the leaders of the other races swear fealty to me."

"Indeed?" Zelda turned to the ridiculous fortress hanging in the air. "And do you expect them to fly up to the door, or will you just receive them here?"

"Wh- no. Don't be a fool." He stepped over to the pile of rubble, picking up a block of stone. "I will restore the old castle. My power is enough to keep any threats at bay." He made a slight gesture, and two of the piglike monsters appeared, dressed in dark armor. He handed each one a scroll, with instructions: "Go and spread the word to the people of Hyrule."

As they left, he turned back to Zelda. "Milady, I can speed this along with magic, but it will still take a few days. Take my horse and go to the Gerudo Fortress. My people will give you food and shelter in the interm."

Zelda eyed the demon horse with trepidation, but did as he bade. She took off as soon as he turned away, through the ruined city and over the fields.

* * *

><p>She slept fitfully in the small but clean cell where the guard had brought her, trying to blot out the sounds of wild celebration below. She deserved it, Zelda reasoned. She had failed her country and now was more or less a prisoner of war. And why shouldn't the winners celebrate?<p>

Zelda kept her back turned as she heard one of the guards come to the door. To her surprise, the Gerudo woman spoke to her. "Begging your pardon, Miss, I know you're not in a festive mood, but I thought I would bring you a little wine and meat." Zelda turned to see one of the Gerudo beaming down at her, carrying a small tray with an iron cup and bowl. She set it down on the floor, then locked the bars again as she left. "Please, miss, the great Ganondorf will be a fair king, you'll see."

Zelda fought the urge to roll her eyes. All of the Gerudo had been brainwashed; she didn't expect them to talk any kind of sense. Still, his people treated her with respect, and that was something. She found a small roll of bread, along with a meaty stew that smelled surprisingly delicious. Zelda sniffed the wine, then frowned and poured it down the little drain in the corner. It reminded her all too well of the grand dinners spread upon her father's table. Likely it had been stolen soon after the fall of the castle. She didn't want any remnants of what she had lost.


	2. Chapter 2

In the middle of Kakariko town, the short, furry Moblin unfurled the scroll he had been given and read in a halting, guttral voice, "The Warrior Link has been defeated, the Princess Zelda has surrendered, and the Great Ganondorf is now the rightful King of Hyrule. All threats to His supremacy have been eliminated, and the monster occupation will be reversed." Apparently the Moblin saw no problem with this statement, but then they had never been bred for intelligence. "This process can be accelerated by Hyrulean citizens who wish to fulfill roles in the castle. The original castle has been rebuilt, and you may apply effective immediately."

He paused and looked around. Not a soul was in sight; every door was closed and locked tight. The Moblin read his statement again, and looked dubiously over the scroll for any change. As he started once again, a window opened a crack and a voice shouted out, "We heard you the first time!"

It slammed shut.

The monster blinked its piggy eyes in some confusion, then shut the scroll. It ambled up the stairway and through the winding mountain pass, until it reached the entrance to the Goron's town. It unrolled the scroll and began reading, completely oblivious to the rock about to come down crashing onto its head.

Damun, the patriarch's brother, picked up the scroll. He scowled at the black dust under the rock, all that remained of the Moblin. _So it was a conjured monster_.

He unfurled the scroll and read it, his scowl deepening the further he went. He snapped it shut, then walked back into town.

"What is it, Brother?" one of the other Gorons asked, as the entire tribe crowded around him.

"Just as we feared," said Damun. "First Darunia, then now It's over."

The other Gorons bowed their heads; the child that bore Link's name sniffled and wiped his eyes.

Damun opened the scroll and slapped it, a frown nearly splitting his face. "That evil man actually invited us to his castle! As if nothing had happened! As if we would speak to the man who tried to feed us to the dragon!"

"He doesn't seem like a fool," said one of the Gorons. "Cruel, yes, but not stupid enough to think we would fall for such a trick."

Lighting the scroll on fire using one of the torches, Damun said, "We will have nothing to do with him. The Goron tribe with seal itself in the Mountain, and have contact with no one else but the Kokiri until that man is gone."

* * *

><p>Zelda jerked awake to cries of mourning. She squinted in the sun that came through the barred windows, trying to see through to the ground below. She doubted she was lucky enough to find that Ganondorf had somehow died during the night; so who were these cries for?<p>

The same woman from last night came in with a simple porridge breakfast, her head down and dark circles under her eyes. "What's going on?" Zelda asked, not really expecting an answer.

To her surprise, the woman's head jerked up. "Oh, Miss, it's no concern of yours. We sent someone to bring back the exalted Nabooru from the Spirit Temple…and found that your knight had killed her."

Zelda blinked. "It wasn't Link, it was…" She stopped, realizing this woman would never believe her. "I'm sorry."

The Gerudo gave her a wan smile through her tears. "There is no need for apologies, Miss. The exalted Nabooru was a great warrior; if she fell, it only means that yours was stronger."

Zelda said nothing, staring with no appetite at the bowl the woman had left. Even the Gerudo had lost something during Ganondorf's occupation. It did not bode well for the future.

* * *

><p>A couple days later, the guards who had brought her to the cell returned, though this time they came with children in tow. Zelda stared openly at the two small girls that stood back warily, returning her stare.<p>

Of course they had children, and probably elders too. Likely they lived somewhere else, or deep in the fortress where they would be safe from attackers. But why were they coming here now?

One of the guards unlocked the door and opened it. "Come with us."

She didn't really have any choice, so she followed them through the corridors of the fortress. A small crowd of children accumulated as they went, chattering and pointing openly. Soon she did see elders as well, their red hair streaked with gray. Zelda was used to being stared at, but for the first time in her life she felt shy and intimidated. What were they going to do? Was this the beginning of some new humiliation? Would she be tried for some imagined crime and executed? She didn't think such a thing would happen with children present, but given they were the children of hardened warriors, one never knew…

She felt the harsh sun on her skin as they stepped outside, a huge crowd already standing in the open area between the gate and the fortress. At the head of the group stood Ganondorf, tall enough to tower over everyone without standing on a platform. They stopped a little way off to the side and Zelda stared at the ground, dreading what would come next.

"For years you have patiently and faithfully awaited this moment," Ganondorf called out over the group, addressing what must have been the entire Gerudo tribe. "We have worked toward this goal ever since the day I became your King, so many years ago. We suffered first at the hands of the Hylians, then lost one of our own when they sent their last force of resistance against us.

"But now he is gone! The Hylian Knight has fallen, and its Princess has surrendered! Hyrule is ours!"

Zelda stood her ground in the rush of cheers that followed. She could feel all eyes upon her and her face burned. She waited, gritting her teeth, until the cheering stopped.

"You have all earned this victory," Ganondorf continued, "And now we will take what is rightfully hours. Today we travel to our new home…to the green fields of Hyrule, to the castle where _they_ will kneel before _us!"_

More cheers. Zelda focused on the dirt beneath her feet until the speech was finished. The daughters of the guards peered at her with wide eyes, plucked at her dress until their mothers shooed them away. They giggled, curious, then turned their attention back to their King.

Suddenly the crowd surged forward in a whirl of activity. Horses appeared from nowhere, babies and small children were wrapped around mothers' backs, elders mounted horses and grasped huge hide bags handed to them by the other women. Zelda watched listlessly, waiting for the long march. Thank Nayru she had spent seven years as Sheik, otherwise she would never make the trip…

"You can ride, correct?" She jerked her head up to see Ganondorf standing in front of her with a horse tacked with saddle and bridle. Zelda stared at it in surprise; all the Gerudo except Ganondorf rode bareback. "I…of course," she said slowly. "But I can walk if necessary…"

"You will ride." He thrust the bridle at her. "But you will take some supplies and another person with you. There is much to carry."

She could think of nothing to say, but mounted the horse as well as she could in her skirts. An elderly woman climbed onto the back of the horse behind her, gripping the saddle in one hand and holding out the other for a package wrapped in rope and hide. The woman said nothing to her, and Zelda kept quiet.

Zelda's horseback experience didn't seem to matter, as the horse fell into step with the one in front of it. A breeze sprang to life as soon as they left the valley, as if it really had been cut off from Farore's breath of life. Squeals of children embarking on a new adventure mingled with the whinny of horses and the clatter of hooves. She raised her eyes once they reached grass and found, to her surprise, that she could see the old castle in the distance. How had he built it so quickly, without the use of Power?

An armored black horse nudged up against hers, and she dropped her gaze again. He said nothing as he rode by her side, though he did talk briefly with the old woman behind her. She gave him a toothless laugh and slapped the saddle, startling Zelda. She looked up to see him watching her carefully. "Are you well?"

She scowled at him. "What do you think?"

Frowning down at her, he replied, "I mean considering the circumstances."

She turned away. "I'm still alive. I suppose that's something."

They rode in silence for a while longer. Finally, Ganondorf said, "This country has seen a great deal, and not just in the past seven years. It never completely recovered from the Fierce War. If you care for your country, you will assist in rebuilding it."

She smiled grimly. "Is that a request for help? I never thought I'd hear that from you…"

"You can either be an advisor or a prisoner. It's your choice," he said curtly.

Silence. Then, "I suppose…that would be the wisest path."

"When we arrive, you may choose any room as your own," Ganondorf told her. "I could only reproduce the castle itself, and we have very little of our own in terms of furniture or possessions. But I will acquire for you whatever you need to live comfortably. Within reason, of course."

She frowned. "I have no need for luxury. I learned to live without it."

"That was…admirable. Worthy of a Gerudo, in fact."

She gave him a strange look. "Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not," he snapped, rebuffed. "I was…never mind. I have other things to attend to. Do not expect us to fulfill your every need."

She stared after him as he rode off. Behind her, the old woman started singing under her breath. Zelda sighed, waiting patiently for the time when she would finally be alone again.


	3. Chapter 3

The empty halls echoed with the squeals of children as they ran up and down the corridors. Here and there she found a tapestry on the wall, or a suit of armor in the corner. Other than that, it seemed bare and barren. Zelda walked slowly through the castle, sometimes coming up against a blank wall that appeared out of nowhere. As she walked toward what had once been the throne room, Zelda realized that Ganondorf had only managed to bring back the parts of the castle that he remembered. Places he had visited many times might have a rug on the floor or an additional painting, and the hallway to the throne room seemed accurate enough. But mostly she walked through an unending mass of gray stone.

Zelda sought out the farthest, most isolated corner she could find; she had to walk through the entire castle as the floor plan was completely different now. She paused as she came to the entrance of the courtyard, a few scraggly clumps of grass in place of the gardens. Her eye rested on the place where she had first met the boy, the one she was supposed to help save their world. Then she turned away, surprised to find herself more bitter than sad.

Finally she found a place, one of the towers that had been reserved for visiting royalty. At one time it would have been as lavishly decorated as the royal chambers themselves. Now it only held a large rug on the stone floor, a simple bed, a desk, a table with two wooden chairs, a bookcase, and a fireplace. It had a large window that looked out upon Hyrule field, away from the castle and away from Kakariko. Exhausted from her journey and from the stroll through unfortunate memories, she laid down on the bed to rest. There really seemed to be nothing else to do but sleep…

When she awakened, night had already fallen. She heard a sharp rap at her door. "Come in!" she said automatically.

The door opened and the woman who had been her jailor entered, with her children in tow. She carried a large bowl of the same simple stew that seemed to be the Gerudo staple. "Good Evening, Miss. It's late and we've already eaten; I thought you might be hungry."

"That's very kind of you," Zelda said, offering her one of the chairs. "You don't need to do this every day. I can get my own food from now on."

"It's our custom to eat together," said the woman, ladling the stew into a smaller pewter bowl. She gestured to one of the girls, who lifted a jug of water with great care onto the table. "But I didn't know how you would feel about that, so I decided to bring you something. My name is Antiada, by the way. My girls' names are Iso and Mara."

"Pleased to meet you," Zelda replied, not sure what else to say.

As she sat down to dinner, Antiada pointed to her torn, soiled gown. "If you like, Miss Zelda, I can sew you something more appropriate. It won't show as much skin as our usual clothing, and it will be much more comfortable."

"Oh, I don't want to be any trouble," Zelda said automatically, and realized she was not just being polite. The presence of other people made her uncomfortable, made her remember what had happened and why she was here. She just wanted to stay inside, hidden, and disappear…

But Antiada gave her a genuine smile. "Oh, but it's not trouble at all! I'm a very good seamstress…in fact my sisters say I always look for an excuse to show off. So I'm just being selfish!"

Zelda couldn't help but laugh at this, just a little. "In that case…thank you."

"Why are you here by yourself?" the smaller of the two piped up.

"Iso! I told you to be quiet," Antiada snapped.

"But she seems sad. Why can't we bring her to the party?" Mara asked. "The King is…"

"That's enough! The two of you, head back to the others. I'll be along in a few minutes. Go on now!" she insisted as they hung in the doorway. When the door shut behind them, Antiada turned back to Zelda. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. Perhaps we'll speak tomorrow. You get a good night's rest."

The door shut behind her as well, and Zelda turned back to her stew. She picked up a spoon, then put it back on the table. Even though she had been starving before, she somehow had no appetite for food.

* * *

><p>Zelda jerked awake as someone pounded on her door. "Yes, what?" she yelled in an indignant, drowsy slur, irritated at having been dragged back into reality.<p>

The door opened and Antiada came in, a bundle of the purplish Gerudo fabric in her hands. "Begging your pardon, Miss, but the King requests your presence."

"What on earth for?"

"I don't know, Miss Zelda. He asked me to make this for you, until I have the time to make something better." She held up a simple dress sewn in the Hylian style. "I said you might be more comfortable in Gerudo pants, but he insisted you dress Hylian."

"It makes no difference." Zelda pulled off her gown but kept on her undergarments, leaving Antiada looking confused over the unnecessary number of layers. Once finished, she headed to the door, but Antiada pulled her back

"Your hair, Miss. It's all in disarray. You can't be received by the King like that." She took Zelda's arm and pulled her over to the bed, then took out a comb made of bone from one of her pants pockets. Zelda sat listlessly as Antiada struggled with her hair, ripping the comb through it until it lay plain and straight on her back. "All right, let's hurry now. He's waiting for us."

Zelda followed Antiada to the throne room, apathy replaced by disgust and anger as she saw _him_ sitting there, regardless of whatever right he might have to it. As she reached the foot of the dais, she remained standing straight.

A low hiss rippled through the little group of armed women. One of them, flanking the throne, stepped down and pointed her halberd at Zelda. "You will kneel to the King of Hyrule!"

"Stay!" The woman's head jerked back as Ganondorf raised his hand, and she returned to her position. "This is a Hylian castle, but we receive honored guests as Gerudo. Whatever her ancestors might have done, this woman has my esteem."

Zelda said nothing.

"Lady Zelda," Ganondorf said, as if attempting a modicum of respect. "I have extended the olive branch to the other races, and yet have received nothing but contempt in return." He signaled to one of the guards, and she handed Zelda a few pages of letters. Zelda recognized the Zora King's handwriting, the bold scrawl of the Gorons, the thin quill of one of the merchants at Kakariko. The first two had been written in haste with a challenge at the end; the third was a careful pandering litany of excuses.

"They refuse to come," Ganondorf said, "and while I could force them, I have no wish to inflict further damage upon this country…regardless of what they may say."

"Can you blame them?" Zelda demanded. "Even if they wished to greet you, this land is still overrun by monsters. Even a Goron would have to fight his way here."

"The vast majority of them are not mine, despite what you may think, so I cannot unsummon them," Ganondorf said, a tinge of impatience entering his voice.

"Regardless, you still need to get rid of them, else no one will come," said Zelda. "At the very least, eliminating the threat of monsters would be seen as a gesture of goodwill. Merely stating your intentions - or lack thereof- in a letter is not enough."

He sat for a few minutes in deep thought,. Zelda stood silently, waiting for dismissal, as every eye in the room darted back and forth between her and the man on the throne.

Finally, Ganondorf stood. Raising one hand and addressing all assembled, he said in a voice that filled the room, "A white horse and a barrel of the Hylians' best wine to the warrior who brings back the most monster hides!"

A whoop echoed throughout the room, and every one of the Gerudo except the two flanking the throne ran for the door. Zelda stared in surprise, then remembered that Gerudo could hardly hang about like courtiers if they had better things to do.

As Zelda turned to leave, she heard the stomp of iron and leather boots coming toward her. They halted perhaps an arm's length away, and Zelda made no move to turn toward the person speaking to her. "Lady Zelda, in case my sisters have not made this clear, I want you to know that you are welcome in any part of this castle."

"Very well; regardless, I think I would prefer my own room for now," she replied, straining to speak louder than a mumble.

An awkward silence followed. "As you wish," he replied, and Zelda left the room.

* * *

><p>"I'm afraid I'm not very learned in the Hylian style of sewing," Antiada apologized as she ripped out another seam in the dress. "The cut and angles are all different."<p>

"It doesn't need to be perfect," Zelda said as she rolled hollow deku nuts toward the baby that Iso and Mara were looking after. With nearly all the Gerudo on the hunt for monsters, most of the babies and small children had been left with the few still in the castle. Another toddler practiced walking across the stone floor, and two young girls sparred with sticks on the other side of the room.

"Yes, but the King wants it to look as authentic as possible, without some of the more awkward bits," she said as she threaded her bone needle. "Din above, I don't know how you Hylians manage to move in some of these clothes."

"Most of us don't," Zelda said listlessly as the baby tossed nuts over to the other girls. "Hylian noblewomen aren't very active."

"But you spent seven years as a Shekiah! Certainly there is untapped talent there."

"That…was out of necessity. And I never reached the level of skill that a true Shekiah would have."

Iso heard the dip in tone in Zelda's voice, and tickled the baby so it would laugh. She had been doing that all morning; usually it brought a wan smile to Zelda's face, but this time she merely stared into space.

"I'm sorry if I brought up a sore topic," Antiada said hastily. "We saw you, in the desert. And yet we could not catch you. That takes some skill, at least. You should take pride in such talent."

"Thank you," Zelda said absently, then turned to the dress. "Antiada, if it's not too much trouble…could I have a pair of Gerudo pants as well?"

"It's no trouble at all!" Antiada replied, beaming. "I take it as a compliment that you would want to wear them."

"They do seem more comfortable."

"They are. I - _aya sami!" _Antiada snapped at Mara, who had been throwing nuts at the two sparring girls. The girls whacked the nuts back at her, sending them whizzing over Antiada's head. Mara sat on the floor and pouted.

"She wants to start fighting too," Antiada explained. "But she has to move at the same pace as her own age mates. Children always want to be grown up…it's the same with Hylians too, is it not?"

"It is." Zelda picked up the toddler, which had been stumbling toward the door. It objected with surprising strength, kicking and yowling. She put it on the floor next to the baby and handed it a few nuts to play with. "Though I could think of a few arguments against growing up too fast."

Antiada looked up from her sewing. "Were you really allowed to act as a child, even in peacetime?" she asked.

"Not really," Zelda sighed. "I suppose it doesn't make much difference…Hyrule has never seen peace for more than a generation."

Antiada said nothing, the legacy of Hyrule's cursed relic hanging over both their heads. She looked out the window at the fields where her sisters hunted the remainder of the dark years' monsters, hoping that all their work would not come to naught.


	4. Chapter 4

_Listen! Can you hear it?_

_The Triforce resonates. It calls out to its sibling. He is near. He comes armed with righteous anger, in his hand a blade of light. He pulls back the veil that hides you, seeking your heart. He has torn down the walls you built to contain him, an arrow shot straight and true._

_He stands at the door! Retreat and you will die! Courage is nothing against Power!_

…_no! His blade burns…_

…_he is too strong…_

…_only one chance left…_

Ganondorf jolted awake, clutching at his heart. For a brief moment he sat disoriented, in a Gerudo-style bed of woven slats but surrounded by the gray stone of the Hylian castle.

Then he remembered.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he hefted himself out of the bed and stood at the window, taking in the dawn and the cool summer breeze. The war was finally over, and Hyrule was his. Every morning he had to consciously remind himself of that fact, part of his mind still haunted by the constant paranoia that came with watching the possible tool of his own destruction approach him.

He looked out over the field and frowned at the dead, brown grass. _Of course. The river…I froze the river. Because the Zora…the Zora did something…I don't even remember…_

He rubbed his fingers over his eyes, the bridge of his nose, his forehead. Memories slowly filtered into his mind, and he gained a little more knowledge every day. The seven years he had spent under the Triforce's power had been a blur, a drunken revelry of destruction and chaos.

He heard a knock at the door. "My King, it is dawn. Does it please you to rise?"

His heart swelled with pride at the sound of another Gerudo voice. He had won, and he had brought his people into the promised land. He opened the door and greeted the surprised woman with an embrace, nearly spilling the jug of water she had brought. She passed it to one of her two daughters, who fought over the privilege of placing it on the stand next to the bed. She laughed with pleasure as he nuzzled her neck, taking in the dusty, spicy scent of his own people that he had missed for so long.

"My King, the others await in the throne room with their bounty. Will you come?"

Ganondorf fell back to earth. The annoyances of the previous day flooded back to him. "Of course," he said briskly, suddenly businesslike. "I will dress and join you in a few minutes."

Some time later, he scowled as he fastened the clasp on the silk robe he had chosen, his old armor left behind. Things had not been as easy as he'd hoped. He had crushed the last piece of resistance to his rule, he had overwhelmed the other two Triforce Bearers, but the gods would not cede to him his full prize. If only he had gained the full Triforce! Then he could have merely wished the grass green, the people loyal…

Suddenly Ganondorf stopped, sensing another person nearby, the ghost that walked the castle halls. He retreated into the shadows and watched the maiden all forlorn as she passed by. The Princess Zelda, or rather the Lady Zelda, as she no longer held the Crown of Hyrule.

Why did she stay? She seemed a stranger to him, a young woman in simple dress. He remembered more clearly the little girl that had watched him fearfully from the courtyard, skittering away like a mouse whenever he approached. Ganondorf stepped out of hiding, walking casually past her with a brief nod of acknowledgement. She stood firm, inclining her head ever so slightly, watching him with cold blue eyes.

He saw hatred and resentment there, but no rebellion. It puzzled him. She had lost, and yet she remained. Not that he minded. Ganondorf had to force himself not to stare, to gaze too long at the living proof of his victory.

He heard the chaos of the throne room long before he saw it. He stepped inside to see piles of wolfos pelts, stalfos bones, moblin spears, even a few bottled Poes. Upon his appearance the entire tribe rushed toward him.

"My King, you told us long ago not to kill the moblin monsters, so instead we disarmed them. That should count as at least half a wolfos pelt, should it not?"

"My King, tell the others that a stalfos skull counts as a whole! You know that there is no point in searching for and carrying every little bone! They cannot reform without the head!"

"My King, a Poe must count as much as two wolfos! They are much harder to catch!"

Ganondorf raised his hand, motioning for the others to clear out of his way as he walked toward the throne. Children skittered before his feet, wrapping themselves in capes of wolfos skins and sparring with stalfos bones.

Each warrior presented her bounty to him, along with at least one tale of valor, as was the custom. Children brought in apples and water for their mothers and their King. Ganondorf praised his people, marveling at the sheer number. Surely the rest of Hyrule had to take notice.

In the middle of it all, the castle ghost appeared. Ganondorf did not remember her coming into the room, but all of a sudden he noticed her standing there, listening to a woman regale her with a story about how she had caught the Poe in her bottle.

He stood with a particularly large wolfos hide in his hand. "Is this enough for your people, Lady Zelda?" he asked with a triumphant smile. "I doubt there is a demon wolf left in my lands. Even better than your Hero could have done, eh?"

She flinched as if struck. He had the distinct impression that he had said something wrong. No, of course not, he reasoned. The Princess had wanted her lands cleansed of darkness, and here were the remains of the evil creatures that had plagued her people.

"I never had any doubt in your warriors' ability," she said coldly. "If you send one of the Gerudo as messenger to each of the representatives, I am sure they will come."

"It will be done!"

"Please excuse me." She bowed slightly instead of a curtsey, in the same manner of the Shekiah. As if she were still wearing her disguise, the clever ruse that even he had failed to see through. He watched her leave, and found himself wishing she had stayed. He must ask her about the Shekiah sometime. She could provide much information about their fighting skills.

"My King?" The warrior stood with her hands full of wolfos pelts, waiting for him.

"My pardon." He tore himself away from Lady Zelda's retreating figure and back to her. "Please continue."

* * *

><p>Finally, someone had come! Ganondorf hoped it was one of the Zora. The river's water levels were still not where they should be. He had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with the Hero's alterations in the Water Temple. No one but another Zora would be able to get in and fix it. But a Goron would be just as good. Hyrule desperately needed their metalworking skills. But he doubted they would be the first to come. What had he been thinking, threatening to feed them to a dragon? He had been angry, certainly, that they were helping the Hero, but had he really been so dense as to throw Hyrule's best blacksmiths down the throat of an ugly wyrm?<p>

The guard entered with their guest, and Ganondorf's smile fell back down into a frown. It was one of those pathetic carpenters. No, actually, the boss of the carpenters. But still, not even good enough for breeding. He was the tallest and burliest of the Kakariko residents; The Hylians must have chosen him for his relative strength. Was this really the best they had to offer?

He could still be useful, though. The castle town needed to be rebuilt. Gerudo did not build with wood. They needed someone who did.

The big man trembled visibly, falling to his knees long before he reached the throne. Ganondorf attempted to put on a more genial face, knowing that this man saw seven years of death upon the throne. "Welcome to my castle," he offered. "What is your name?"

"I-it's Tyrus, sir…"

"Your Highness," one of the guard prompted, and he flinched.

"Y-your Highness…" he repeated in a barely audible voice.

Ganondorf nodded to one of the Gerudo, who offered to the man a bundle wrapped in silk. Tyrus took it, glancing back up to Ganondorf with a puzzled expression.

"This is a cloak made from the wolfos that my warriors killed, to cleanse the lands of monsters. One of my finest seamstresses sewed it, and only from the soft underbelly of the creature. The skin has been softened, and the stink of the monster replaced with Gerudo incense." Ganondorf stood, and Tyrus looked as if he might faint. "Bring this back to your people, along with an offer. I would ask that they return to the town, which you and your men will rebuild."

"B-but…" Beads of sweat ran down Tyrus's face. "What about the walking dead?"

"Gone. Did you not notice when you came here?" A flash of irritation crossed Ganondorf's face. "I saw to that myself. I did not create them, but I did send them back to where they came from."

"You…you didn't create…?"

"Of course not!" Ganondorf snapped, and Tyrus froze. "Those foul Shekiah created them. Not all evil in the world was created by my hand!" He stode forward, and Tyrus scrambled away. "Stay still, coward! Are there no men of substance left in Hyrule?"

"You killed them all," said a spiteful voice from the far left side.

Tyrus sprinted toward the woman in the simple dress. "Princess Zelda! Praise the Goddesses, you're alive!" He prostrated himself before her skirts.

She stepped away, looking pained. "That is no longer my title, citizen Tyrus. Please do not address me that way anymore."

"But Milady! Surely there is something you can…"

Zelda shook her head. "All power I had is gone."

Ganondorf scowled at the man, then wiped the frown off his face as an idea came into his head. "Citizen Tyrus. I am sure the Lady Zelda would like to see the castle town rebuilt as well."

Tyrus looked fearfully back and forth between the two. "Is it…safe?" he asked in barely a whisper.

Ganondorf watched Zelda glance up at him, a resigned look on her face. "It is. There is nothing more he can do."

"Would…would it please the Pr…the Lady Zelda if the castle town were rebuilt?"

She paused, and Ganondorf had the distinct impression that nothing would please the Lady Zelda ever again. But then she smiled, warming away the chill that had settled over the room. "It would please me greatly, Citizen Tyrus. The sooner things are rebuilt, the sooner we can recover."

He bowed his head. "Then if her Maj…if the Lady Zelda requests it, I would be delighted."

"I can give no such orders on my own." Here Zelda turned to Ganondorf. "But by the grace of the King…"

"Of course," Ganondorf replied with a nod of the head. "The quicker, the better."

Tyrus stood, the silk bundle in his hands wrinkled from his twisting it in fear. "Then…then I will take my men immediately to the benign forest, where we will gather wood for the new town." He bowed to Zelda, remembered, and then gave an even deeper bow to Ganondorf. Then he practically fled from the room, the guard following from behind.

Ganondorf turned to Zelda, whose benevolent mood had evaporated. "You certainly have a way with your people."

She frowned at him, the tight-lipped frown she always wore that made her look as if she were addressing a beast instead of a man. "I merely consider their needs instead of threatening them. It is not difficult to master. Please excuse me."

"Very well," he said, her back turned to him even before he finished speaking.

"Why do you give that Hylian wench so much freedom?" one of the Gerudo asked, staring after Zelda with faint distaste.

Ganondorf sighed. "As you've plainly seen, her presence is one of the few things that brings the point-ears out of their stupor of fear."

"The one who made the cloak…Antiada. She seems to have made some kind of a friendship with the former Princess."

"Indeed?" Ganondorf turned to her with interest. "That is good to hear. I will speak with Antiada later. Hopefully her friendship will be of some use to us."


	5. Chapter 5

After three more weeks of waiting, Ganondorf gave up and decided to seek out the leaders of the other races on his own. It was not a very kingly thing to do, but then Ganondorf had always believed that even Kings had to be practical sometimes. He decided to visit the Zora first, then the Kokiri, then the Gorons. Much of the fog had lifted from his mind by now, and he had a pretty good idea how they would react once he appeared; but it could not be helped.

He traveled with a handful of warriors and the Lady Zelda. She did not ask to come; he had requested her presence. She had not argued, but came along quietly, the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. Ganondorf felt sure that she found amusement in his struggles.

"You will not reach the Zora without help," she said before they left. To his surprise, she pulled from a pocket of her dress a small, round, blue object.

He could not keep the startled look off his face when he saw it - the Ocarina of Time, the passage to the Sacred Realm. He managed at least to stop his hand from grabbing it, then glanced up to see Zelda watching him closely. "If that is what it takes to get an audience with those stubborn fish, then so be it."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Oh? Not interested in opening the Door of Time?" Link had shut it on the way to his final battle.

He frowned at her mocking face. Ganondorf planned to bring the Stones with him, to present to the other leaders. "I know the Triforce is out of my reach," he said slowly, as if he could not bear to even speak those words. "Do not think me such a fool that I would fall into the same trap a second time."

She smiled. "Well, then, it seems you are capable of learning."

He wanted to strike her, but restrained himself from such childish behavior. "Prepare whatever you need," he snapped. "We leave within the hour."

* * *

><p>They wound around the river as it snaked its way up the hill. Finally, near the top, the path stopped in front a waterfall. The last time he had been here, Ganondorf had simply frozen the waterfall itself, casting a spell that traced it back to its source. He had never actually been in Zora's Domain.<p>

He turned to Zelda, to see what she would do. She brought the ocarina up to her lips, and played a short tune. He recognized it as some song from her childhood; was that really what they needed to get through the waterfall?

His answer came quickly; the waters parted, and a small passage appeared in front of them. The other Gerudo made muffled exclamations of surprise; Zelda merely placed the ocarina back in her pocket.

The first people they came across were two Zora guards. Upon catching sight of the Evil King, they raised their spears with trembling hands but stood their ground, attempting to block the way for what little honor was in it.

"Let us pass," Ganondorf demanded. "The war is ended; I no longer have any interest in fighting."

"You are not welcome here," one of the Zora said, his voice shaking along with his spear.

Scowling, Ganondorf raised his hand. "If you will not move, then I will force you!"

He took a step forward, then stopped abruptly as Zelda placed herself between them. They fell to their knees. "Princess Zelda! You are alive!"

"Please, do not use that title any more," she said softly. "I am the Lady Zelda now."

"But, surely…you have not rescinded your crown to…"

"It is my duty to do what must be done, for Hyrule's survival," she replied sternly. "Please, good soldiers…we wish to speak with your King."

They exchanged glances, then stood and moved to the side. "As you wish, Milady."

The other Zora fled before them, diving deep into the water. As Ganondorf reached the throne room, King Zora made a rude noise. "So, murderer who killed my daughter, you dare show your face here? Then send me to the other world to be with her, as I will not suffer your presence in our domain!"

Fighting to keep his temper, Ganondorf said in a strangled voice, "It was the Hero of Time who killed your daughter, fool. Had she stayed frozen like the rest of you, she would have come to no harm."

"You are both a knave and a fool," shot back the Zora King. "No worthy King would inflict such pain on us!"

Just as Ganondorf opened his mouth, Zelda spoke. "It was not the King who killed your daughter," she said softly. "It was I who killed her."

Both Ganondorf and the Zora King stared at her, incredulous. "I beg your pardon, Milady, but this evil man has muddled your wits. How on earth could you have…"

"I freed her from the ice, and showed her where to find the Hero," said Zelda. "I bear all responsibility for her death."

"My…Milady, that was an innocent gesture. You did not share any of his evil schemes to…"

"Be that as it may, it is my fault that she is dead."

The Zora King said nothing for a long moment. Ganondorf kept his face impassive, but he felt just as startled as the other did upon hearing Zelda's pronouncement. "I see…" he said slowly. "And, Milady…you serve this King now?"

"I do what must be done, for all of us. There is no other path."

Ganondorf took this moment to set the Zora Sapphire at the feet of the King. "I have returned your treasure. I have no need for the Sacred Realm anymore."

The old fish's eyes flashed. "The Sapphire is worthless to me without my daughter. It was to be her bride-piece, that she would give her future husband. But now that they are both dead…"

He said nothing for a while, then gave a great sigh. "In hardship, all we can do is endure. Well then, O King of Hyrule, I have no desire to let the rest of the country perish just to spite you. We will release the dam and let the river flow freely once more."

"Good," Ganondorf said simply, and turned to go.

Zelda bowed to the Zora King. "Thank you for your help."

"Thank you, Lady Zelda, for staying behind," said the Zora King, solemn and sad. "May we both meet those we lost in the next world, once our time has come."

* * *

><p>The Gerudo did not like the forest, and the forest did not like the Gerudo. So it had been long before Ganondorf had ever been born. In truth, the forest hated all outsiders equally. But its power had been drained since the Great Deku Tree had died, and its replacement Sprout would require several hundred years of growth to reach the same level.<p>

The Kokiri scattered long before the little troop entered their glen. Zelda paused briefly as they passed by the tiny houses. Ganondorf glanced in her direction, knowing what she must be thinking. He could sense a restless spirit somewhere in the vicinity. The Hero's grave lay somewhere nearby.

The Deku Sprout had plenty to say. "How dare you pollute this sacred place! You spread rot and disease wherever you go! Praise the Goddesses that they would never cede to you their full power!"

Ganondorf lifted the Kokiri Emerald to throw at him, but a small hand caught his elbow. The Lady Zelda stood there, and she held her hand open for the gem. He handed it over.

She laid it on the ground in front of him and said, "Our town must be rebuilt so that we can live normally once again. Please cede to us the trees on the edge of your forest.

The Sprout spluttered and frothed. "Fool! Whore! Bastard child! Princess of Destiny, indeed! Why do you condemn us to this fate? Why did you fail in your duty?"

Her back was turned, so Ganondorf could not see her face. But her voice shifted, hard and cold as a steel blade. "Yes, sprout of the Great Deku Tree, I am not the King's daughter. I am not of his blood, or of like mind. He was perfectly content for you to deal with trespassers and poachers in your own way, but I am different." She paused, and Ganondorf listened with an almost gleeful anticipation. "I do not tolerate anyone who turns my people into monsters, or who dooms innocent children. At least, not anyone who does not sit on the throne of Hyrule."

"Would the Lady speak her wish?" Ganondorf asked eagerly.

She turned away from the Sprout, her eyes smoldering and her mouth in a thin line. "He will turn over all trespassers to the Crown. Or he will burn."

"Consider it granted," said Ganondorf, and bowed slightly. She stalked off and Ganondorf followed, the warriors whooping behind them.

"Milady," Ganondorf said once they were nearing the Goron edge of the forest, "I must commend you on your forceful and eloquent…"

"There is no need," she said shortly. "I would only ask that you contribute something other than brutish threats next time."

Insulted, Ganondorf drew back. But he did not say anything more.

* * *

><p>The boulder the Gorons had set at the forest entrance was not much of a barrier; Ganondorf had placed a larger one in front of the Dudongo's Cavern. All the same, they were not prepared to see more boulders come crashing down the hall toward them. The Gerudo flattened against the wall, and Ganondorf spread his hands in an effort to halt them; but they stopped of their own accord once Zelda stepped in front of him. Four Gorons unrolled from their balls and stared at her with astonishment. "Princess Zelda-!"<p>

"That is no longer my title. Please address me as Lady Zelda."

The lead Goron turned from her to Ganondorf, a wide scowl pulling down his entire face. "Evil King, you took our Patriarch from us and unleashed a holy terror, which would still be consuming us if not for the Hero. What more could you do to us?"

Ganondorf glanced at Zelda, who did not seem about to say anything more. Her mouth was still drawn into the same tight line that she wore during her words with the Deku Sprout. He produced the Goron Ruby and held it out. "Please forgive my madness. I no longer wish to bring harm to your people."

Every soul present stared at him. He relished their surprise, though it did not last long. "We know you have a snake's tongue," said the Goron. Snatching the Ruby away, he demanded, "What have you come to ask of us?"

"Only that you provide tools that the people of Kakariko will need to rebuild the Castle Town," said Ganondorf. "My people know nothing of carpentry, and keeping it as a ghost town will not heal this land."

The Gorons glanced back and forth between Ganondorf and Zelda, as if they could not believe the words were coming out of his mouth instead of hers. The lead Goron turned to Zelda. "Is this your wish as well?"

"It is," she replied softly.

The Goron frowned back at Ganondorf. "The people of Kakariko are always welcome in the home of the Gorons. You need not concern yourself with that."

"Very well." Ganondorf turned and left. The Goron reached out to Zelda, but she too turned and followed, leaving the little group standing there with flummoxed looks on their broad faces.

* * *

><p>Back at the castle, Zelda immediately headed toward her room. Ganondorf caught her shoulder, and her eyes flashed in irritation. "Milady, I just wanted to compliment you…"<p>

"Please, I beg your pardon, but I am tired and must rest." she shook free and continued walking. Ganondorf frowned and watched her go, then sought out Antiada.

"You…you want me to spy on the Lady Zelda?" Antiada asked, after he explained what he wanted her to do. "I must do as you ask, but…I feel wrong to betray her trust…"

"I am not asking for any deep secrets," said Ganondorf. "But she is like a blank page to me, and I would appreciate even the sketchiest portrait of her mind."

"Very well."


	6. Chapter 6

Zelda walked to her room as quickly as possible, trying to save what little face she had left. She shut the door and took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Tea, she thought to herself. I will calm my nerves with some tea.

The fire was dead in the grate. Her hands trembled as she struck the flint over the tinder. Finally one of the sparks bit upon the shreds of dry wood and grew larger. She held out her hands, her entire body shaking now. Zelda stood to get away from the cold floor and poured water into her kettle, setting it over the fire. The fire grew to a healthy blaze, much more than was needed for tea, and yet she still shivered.

Zelda burned her hand, spilling boiling water over herself as she poured it into a teacup. Ignoring the burn, she added her tea, wrapping her hands around the cup. She stared at the leaves, trying to get her mind to focus on something else.

She had spent far too much time with _him_. Too close to him. Constantly on guard to parry any attack he might make against her or anyone else. On top of it all, he continually attempted to get her to speak with him. But there was nothing to be done about it; he would have botched the entire trip if he had gone without her.

So humiliating…at each stop, the people of Hyrule would bow to their Princess, only to hear her say that she had given up. Over and over and over. Telling them she could no longer help them, no longer protect them, telling them that all hope was lost. She killed the joyful light in their eyes and felt a piece of herself die along with it.

And then, the Deku Sprout's words. She thought only Impa knew her mother's secret. Her desperate attempt to create an heir to the throne with an impotent man. But to say as much was treason. Finally, her mother had found someone who would do as she asked and speak to no one. He had died in the Fierce War. Impa never even told Zelda his name.

From the beginning of the end, Zelda knew this was why she had failed. She was not of the true royal bloodline. She had read the wrong signs, made the wrong moves, chosen the wrong Hero. She had taken the poor boy's destiny and warped it into something foul. She had failed all of Hyrule.

_Goddesses, why did I condemn him to die? _She thought to herself, burying her head in her hands as her eyes filled with tears. _Why did I think I could do this? I should have stayed out of it, should have let the Goddesses turn their wheel of fate until the true Bearer of Wisdom appeared._

The image came unbidden, after so many days of being banished from her mind. His drawn face, his eyes wide, in an expression of shock and despair. _I'm sorry_, he said as a thread of blood ran from the side of his mouth. _I'm sorry I failed you, Princess._

"It's not your fault. It's mine, it's mine," she sobbed into her hands. "All of it, all of it is my fault…"

Suddenly she felt as if someone had hit her in the back of her head. Her stomach churned and she dove for the chamber pot under the bed.

"Milady, are you…oh, Goddesses!" Antiada exclaimed, halfway through the door as Zelda sat curled over the chamber pot. "Are you all right? Are you feeling ill?" Crossing the room, she held her hand to Zelda's temple. "Lady Zelda, you're burning up. You should go to bed. Can you stand?" she asked as Zelda struggled to rise on wobbly legs.

"I'm fine," Zelda mumbled. "Just need…rest…"

"I will make you some broth. Here, I see you made some tea. Have a sip."

Zelda tuned her face away, afraid she would throw up again. "I don't want it."

Antiada frowned at her. "I'll get one of the elders. She'll be able to give you what you need. I'll be right back!"

As soon as Antiada left, Zelda's stomach cramped and she curled into a ball, shivering. She tried to concentrate on breathing, slowly, but every now and then a violent tremor would tear through her body.

Finally she heard footsteps, and Antiada's voice. "I found her on the floor, Mitari. She's hot and keeps shaking. What's wrong with her?"

Zelda felt a leathery hand on her forehead, and opened her eyes to see a wrinkled old woman with streaks of red in her white hair. Mitari frowned at her. "Hmph, so much fear in her eyes. Just a bad case of nerves, nothing more."

"Nerves?" Antiada asked in disbelief. "I've never seen nerves do that to a person."

"Hylians are more delicate than we are," Mitari said in a matter-of-fact voice. "It's easy enough to cure. Bring me some strong liquor, chamomile flowers, licorice root."

Antiada ran out the door. While she was gone, Mitari did not speak to Zelda, and Zelda did not speak to her. It took perhaps fifteen minutes of cooking the herbs in the liquor, and then Mitari offered it to Zelda. "Here, drink this. Whatever worries you will be sent away."

Zelda grasped it, drinking carefully. It tasted like fire, yet as it spread through her body she could feel a great calm come over her. Nothing seemed to matter so much anymore. She took a deep breath and lay back down on the bed. She could hear voices next to her, but could not discern what they said. For a while she just lay there, blissfully staring at the ceiling. Finally, after a few minutes or a few hours, she finally fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em>Too close, the battle was too close, blood streaming from the bodies of both warriors. Zelda had tried her best to aid her champion, shielded him with volleys of arrows, retrieved his sword when it was knocked from his hand. And yet…<em>

_And yet the impossible happened. She heard a cry of pain and turned to see the bloody blade protruding from the boy's back. It disappeared and he stumbled back, fell to the ground, clutched at the tear in his abdomen._

_Wild, feral laughter burned her ears as she ran to the boy's side. Hot blood flowed over her hands. That stare, that horrible, horrible stare as he spoke his last words._

_Zelda's arm nearly wrenched free of its socket as someone grasped her wrist and pulled her to her feet. Maddened yellow eyes blazed, burned through her head as his other hand reached for the fallen boy's. Zelda screamed as white-hot pain stabbed into the mark on her hand. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe…_

* * *

><p>Zelda awoke, gasping, both hands over her heart. Antiada's concerned face appeared in front of her, peering into her eyes. "Lady Zelda, are you all right?"<p>

"Just a nightmare," another voice muttered to the right. Zelda turned to see the elder, Mitari, sitting at a chair with a large staff in one hand. "It's to be expected. Give her a little more to drink."

As Antiada offered Zelda a cup full of the steaming mixture, the door burst open. "Lady Zelda!" one of the children exclaimed. "The King requests your presence!"

She choked on the drink, coughing onto the bed sheets. "She's not well, Adi. She can't see him now," Antiada said.

"But the King said to tell her to come right now!"

Mitari sighed and rapped her staff upon the ground. "What is so urgent that it can't wait? Stay here, child. I'll speak with him."

Antiada offered Zelda the cup again. "Here, drink some more." Her eyes widened as Zelda downed the entire dose. Zelda fell back against the pillows, relishing the feel of calm spreading over her body.

More voices. One quite deep, that needled at the back of her mind, warning her of danger. But the drug wrapped her in a cloak of protection, and she tried to focus her blurry eyes on the figure before her. Large, dark. A hand stretched out, toward her face, then withdrew. Words floated around her, her mind only picking out a few at random.

"…will recover?"

"…not serious…"

"…by morning."

Cradled in apathetic bliss, Zelda slipped away into sleep again.

* * *

><p>She awoke at dawn, the light of day streaming through the window. Zelda felt strange, as if she had been crumpled together and then ironed out straight again. No trace of her previous anxiety remained. She glanced around, saw no one in the room. The fire had burned down to embers, and a single teacup stood on the table.<p>

Zelda got out of bed and changed clothes. She washed her face, made some tea, and then left the room in a sudden desire to see other human beings.

She could hear Ganondorf's thundering roar from down the hall. Wondering what it was this time, she walked into the throne room to see some of the Kakariko merchants prostrated before the throne. Along with them were some of the lesser nobility, the ones closest to the Royal Family long since dead.

Zelda frowned as she recognized some of them. She knew them to have Ganondorf's ambition but none of his boldness. In other words, a pack of tricky cowards. Not likely anything that the King of Thieves couldn't handle, though.

She turned to leave, but he had spotted her. "Lady Zelda, a word, if you please." He gestured for her to walk toward the throne. With a sigh, she stepped forward. The men on the floor stared openly as she passed them, walking up to the Dark King as if there was nothing to fear.

When she was finally close enough for him to speak, he bent down ever so slightly. "Are you well?"

"Yes." She didn't elaborate.

He waited for a few moments, then continued. "These fools keep acting as if I should care what they have to say, and they won't stop coming here even though I scare the daylights out of them. What's their problem?"

Zelda scanned the pale, frightened faces. "I see representatives of the different guilds here," she informed him.

"They seem to want special treatment. Why should I give it to them? I don't see why I should cater to cowards. Each one has asked me to build something for them, but I wanted to focus on homes and essentials first."

"Well, these men are all the experts in their fields. None of those skills include fighting. They are farmers, traders, scribes. We will need them if we wish to have some semblance of civilization again."

Ganondorf scowled. "Do we really need them?"

"Unless you want to try your hand at farming…"

"Fine, then," he snapped, then stood. "You…heads of the guilds. I will take your requests into consideration. But do not expect too much from me."

They bobbed on the floor, extending their thanks, backing out of the door. Ganondorf's lip curled as they disappeared. "Disgusting. How did you ever manage them?"

"I didn't. I was too young." Zelda let that statement hang in the air, then left the throne room.

* * *

><p>Zelda flipped through yet another book on war strategy. The library was full of them, but didn't havve much else. Like everything else in the castle, it only contained what had held Ganondorf's interest when he was plotting his coup. It was as boring as it was useless. Zelda methodically checked each book, hoping for a relatively tame history book. One as ancient as possible, that documented times far different than the ones she lived in now.<p>

"Lady Zelda." Her head jerked up in alarm, but it was only Antiada. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday," Zelda replied, and left it at that.

"Milady…" Antiada sat down in one of the plush chairs near her. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really."

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. But despair worries the Gerudo. We try not to let it take hold in our hearts, even though it plants its seeds there throughout our lives. Throughout our trials and despite our personal quibbles, we are one tribe."

Zelda slapped the book shut. "Well, I have no tribe."

"But the rest of the Hylians…"

Zelda turned to face Antiada, fire smoldering in her eyes. "Your King killed everyone I considered to be my friends. I bore it for seven years, for I still had Impa. Yet now she too is dead, and without Link I cannot reverse the damage your King has done." Her voice trembled slightly, yet she stood fast as stone. "Poor Impa is probably still at the bottom of that well, she never even got a proper burial…"

Antiada felt a wave of sickness come over her. "The Shiekah's well? Their torture chamber?" Taking a deep breath, she said, "We believe that a fallen warrior's spirit remains where they fell, to torment those who wronged it. Your Impa was a brave warrior, you can take faith in the fact that…"

"I don't want her in that filthy place!" Zelda brought her hands up to her face, turning away from Antiada. "She hated it. Impa said that using shadow magic to secure the rule of one race over another went against the Goddesses. She said it would bring the doom of the Shiekah, and she was right. That's why she became my bodyguard. She didn't want to take part…" Suddenly her voice broke, and she fled from the room.

Antiada did not follow. Instead she waited until dinner, and there she sat next to the King. She told him all she could remember.

"Hm, that is a trouble," he said more to himself than to her. "That place is crawling with vile magic, deeper and darker than anything I ever dabbled in. I'm not sure I would find anything left. But if Zelda desires to give her a proper burial…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Comments plz? Readership has jumped significantly, but I have no idea what is drawing people to this fic...**


	7. Chapter 7

"Y-your Highness, why have you summoned me?" Tyrus asked as he kneeled on the floor. "We are building as quickly as we can, we have been able to do more since we gained access to the trees of the Lost Wood…"

"You will build something for me," Ganondorf said. "A coffin."

Tyrus turned white. "F-for me, your Highness? B-but…"

"No, you fool!" Ganondorf pounded his fist on the arm of the throne. He did it so often that the polish began to wear off. "It is for someone long dead. You need not concern yourself with that. I want it built of the finest wood, well polished, with the crest of the Royal Family on the top."

"The Royal Family? Surely you would not…"

"It's not for Zelda, idiot. Stop asking questions! No one you know is in any danger."

"Of course, Sire, I beg your pardon…"

"Don't beg. Go back to Kakariko and make me a coffin."

Ganondorf sighed and pressed his hands to his temples after Tyrus stumbled out of the room. The Gerudo did not bury their dead; they cremated them on funeral pyres and scattered their ashes to the wind. He hoped he was getting this right.

A few days later, he set out alone on his horse for Kakariko village. He did not need any protection, and he did not want to risk the health or even life of any of his people. He was the only one schooled in the art of dark magic, anyway.

The people scattered before him, running into homes and locking the doors, shuttering the windows. As if that would make any difference if he knocked at their door. Some of the homes looked flimsy enough for him to push over. Yet the cuccos did not seem to mind his presence; they wandered around scratching at the grass, just quickening their pace a little if he came too near.

Ganondorf scowled down into the depths of the well. Just a few stories of this place was enough to freeze even the bravest warrior's heart. Gerudo mothers would warn their children of the shadow-walkers, who would steal them and turn them into slaves to the Hylian King. He doubted anything like that had happened, but he knew many an adult Gerudo who had been taken prisoner by the Sheikah, never to return.

He dropped heavily down to the bottom of the well, wincing a little as his ankles took much of the weight. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up; he could hear voices, many of them. He, Nabooru, and a few othersof the Gerudo could both hear and see spirits. It was his people's gift. They could calm the restless and question those that had taken secrets to their graves. Even outside the door, he could hear so many that it sounded like a huge crowd.

Steeling himself, he walked into the torture chamber of the Sheikah.

The walls and floors had been painted in old blood, thrown in spurts and splashes across the moldy brick. Braziers still burned, lighting the room in a hazy firelight, fueled by a spell cast by someone long dead. Giant crosses stood in the middle of the room, rusty chains hanging down from the sides. A sickly smell permeated the air, the reek of death combined with rusted metal and the sweat of fear.

And the ghosts.

They wandered aimlessly through the halls, across the room, even through the walls. Hylians, Sheikah, even a few Gorons. And, of course, Gerudo.

The spirit of a woman floated up to him, her legs and arms twisted at odd angles as a result of hours of torture. _A King of Gerudo has come. Stand, sisters, and greet him._

Ganondorf clasped his hands together and bowed. "You honor me, sister."

More Gerudo spirits appeared, gathering around him. _What does a living King seek among the dead?_ one asked.

"I seek the bones of a Sheikah."

Hollow laughter echoed throughout the room. _And what black magic have you chosen for the spirit of one of our tormentors?_

Ganondorf frowned. "I cannot stay long, sisters. I am looking for the remains of a female Sheikah, recently deceased. Her name in life was Impa."

One of the ghosts raised an arm cut off at the elbow, pointing to the far wall. _The one called Impa is there, Gerudo King._

He bowed low. "My thanks to you, Elder Spirits. May the Goddesses call you home soon."

_Our time on this earth grows short. Those who stole our lives have long since departed. Fare thee well, King._

Ganondorf walked quickly over to the far wall, and immediately recognized the Princess's former bodyguard. Surprised and a little relieved, he said, "I didn't expect to see your spirit still lingering here, Sage of Shadow. Your ward has requested that you be laid to rest with honor."

_I could not stay in the Sacred Realm_, said Impa. _I am just as surprised to see you here, Evil King. Zelda's wishes are what concern of yours?_

"It's a long story." He looked around at the bones on the floor. He found a skull and a few rib bones, but that was all. "I take it the creatures of this place have had their way with the remains. If you show me where they are, I can bring you above."

Her silvery, semitransparent eyes stared at him. _You are telling the truth._

"As I said, it's a long story. Shall we get started? Evil King or not, I don't like being down here any more than you do."

_Very well. Follow me._

Ganondorf picked up the bones on the floor and placed it in one of the sacks his people used on their raiding parties. Wordlessly Impa led him through the chambers, until he had picked up every last bone. Finally, as he walked toward the exit, Impa spoke. _Your heart has changed_. _No…it is the same as always. But your eyes are clearer now._

He waited for her to say more, but turned away when she said nothing. Once he did, she spoke again. _I would ask a favor of you. _

"And that would be?"

_Zelda no longer has the Triforce of Wisdom, so she cannot speak to the spirits. I would ask that you speak to her for me._

"I suppose I could," he said slowly. "But she would probably think that I was making it up."

_Ah, but that is not what I mean_. A smile tugged at her lips.

Ganondorf's skin crawled. "Possession?"

_Consider it, at least. You owe us this much, Evil King._

His lip curled in disgust. "I'll consider it, but that's all."

His sack over his shoulder, Ganondorf made one last stop in Kakariko. He did not know the proper Hylian death rites, and needed someone who did. He entered the graveyard, and knock at the door of the gravekeeper. Once, twice, three times, and then after no answer he opened the door. It was a tiny place, barely large enough for a bed and a table. Both were covered in dust.

Troubled, he walked back out the door. As he stood there trying to determine what to do next, he saw a lanky boy, somewhere between a child and a man, pacing among the headstones.

"Boy. Where is the gravekeeper?" He asked by way of greeting.

The boy looked up. He had a strange, distant look in his eyes that unnerved Ganondorf. "I haven't seen you here before. Who are you?"

The big man frowned. "Wh-what? I am the King of Hyrule!"

"Hello, King," the boy said without a trace of fear. "Dampe died a few years ago, so I decided to take his place."

Scowling, Ganondorf demanded, "Can you even dig a grave?"

"Sure. It just takes a while. Took Dampe a while too. He was pretty old when he died." The boy absently scratched his head. "But I can say the Prayer of Rest. Dampe always said I did it real well."

"Very well then. I will bring a coffin here in three day's time."

"Okay, King. See you later!"

Ganondorf asked Antiada to explain everything to Zelda. For some reason it did not seem appropriate for him to do it. Zelda did not trust him enough even to join the rest of them for dinner; she always ate her meals in her room.

He cleared out the throne room and placed the coffin on the dais before the throne. Then he waited, in the shadows, not wanting to intrude on Zelda's grief.

She came dressed all in black, her eyes to the ground. When she kneeled before the coffin, he expected her to pray quietly, perhaps speak a few soft words of farewell.

To his surprise, she threw herself on the oaken wood, her wails echoing throughout the room. Her keening carried a low note that froze his heart, and he felt suddenly that he should not be there, that he was witnessing something not for his eyes. But he could not move, and stayed rooted to the floor.

"Impa, I'm so sorry," Zelda choked back sobs, tears running down her face. "Please, forgive me…I was just a child, I didn't know what I was doing…"

Her show of pathos unnerved Ganondorf, he who had only ever seen her angry, determined, or fearful. She kneeled on the ground, letting lose everything that she had kept hidden since that fateful day when her Hero had died.

"I shouldn't have shown him, Impa, I was too eager, I wanted him to know that I'd been with him all along…I should have just stayed as Sheik, right until the end. I was too weak, seven years was too long…I wanted so much to see him again as I really was, but then Ganondorf…"

More tears. Ganondorf realized with a shock that Link would not have gotten anywhere at all without Zelda's help, or rather without Sheik's help. As soon as he did, he felt ashamed for missing something so obvious. He had been fighting the both of them the entire time, not just Link.

Seven years of waiting, seven years of training to match the strength, stealth, and skill of the Gerudo. And what had he done to honor her valiance? Trapped her in a cage and hung her above like a prize of war. His face burned and he turned to leave, but his eye caught the silvery figure standing next to Zelda.

He moved a little closer, and saw Impa turn toward him, a single plea in her eyes.

"Ahem."

Zelda stood and whirled round, and her tear-streaked eyes blazed afire with blinding hatred. "You! Come to gloat, you disgusting piece of filth?"

He raised his hands in protest. "I did not come here to mock you, Lady Zelda. If you please…I have my people's gift. If you wish to speak with her spirit…"

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is this some sort of joke? Because if it is, it's a sick one, even for you."

"You only need to say the word, and I will let her speak through me."

Her stare softened ever so slightly. "Then…please."

He switched to his mother tongue for the incantation. "Wandering spirit, take this vessel."

Ganondorf felt a strange sensation, as if he were pushed back into the shadows, watching his own body from far away as it spoke to Zelda in Impa's voice. "Princess, do not blame yourself. You did all you could."

"Oh Impa!" She threw herself into the arms of Impa's vessel. "Why did everyone have to die? Why did I have to stay here? Take me with you!"

"Princess, I cannot. I do not presume to know the Goddesses' minds."

"No! I want to die! I want to go with you!"

"Don't speak such words, Your Highness. You bleed the hearts of the Goddesses…"

Zelda broke down and simply cried for the next few minutes. Ganondorf stood silently in shock at Zelda's words. How long had she been thinking this way? Since…

"Impa." Zelda stood, wiping her eyes. "I…I just had to speak my mind for once."

"All is forgiven, Princess. Please do not torment your soul any longer."

Zelda looked up into Ganondorf's face, seeing Impa's. "I'll see you again, won't I? In the realm of shadows?"

"We will all meet again. My soul will not enter this world again until I am reborn. But I will wait for you in the shadows."

The strange grip on Ganondorf's consciousness weakened, and suddenly he was standing next to the coffin again. All trace of Impa's spirit had disappeared.

"I…thank you for this." Zelda did not look at him as she spoke.

He bowed slightly. "I will bring the coffin to the Royal Family's plot in the graveyard. There is someone there who will give the last prayers."

"Yes, thank you. Please excuse me." Zelda walked out of the room, her body straight, her head high.

Ganondorf, on the other hand, had never felt so shaken in his life.


	8. Chapter 8

Zelda watched impassively as the gravekeeper boy slowly lowered Impa's coffin into the grave. At some point the elder gravekeeper had rigged some sort of block-and-tackle pulley to do most of the work for him. A clever idea, and necessary; during the first few of the Seven Years of Darkness, his services had been in great demand.

She had long since shed all remaining tears, and instead frowned in bitterness as she reflected on Impa's hard work teaching her the arts of the Shekiah. _Save your tears for the day when the pain is far behind. We are warriors; stay on your feet, be prepared to make your sacrifice._

The first few months had been torture. Zelda's delicate skin bled so easily, she tired so quickly. Impa had abandoned weapons training early on, focusing on stealth. This, at least, Zelda could do. Sneaking around the castle and slipping away from the guards had been some of the only enjoyment in her childhood.

_You must move more quickly, Princess. Silence your breathing! I can hear you from here! Please, Your Highness, the fate of the world is resting on this._

Zelda bowed her head in shame. All that sweat, blood, and tears for nothing.

* * *

><p>As Zelda changed from her black mourning robes into a dress of dark blue, she heard a knock at the door. "Come in."<p>

Antiada entered. "Lady Zelda, the King requests your presence."

Zelda sighed. "What is it this time?"

"The nobles keep asking him questions about succession. He fears they wish to plot against him."

"Oh for Goddesses' sake." Zelda tied her hair back with a black band. "I don't know what's worse behavior for a victor, gloating or acting as if the fight never ended. They just want stability. Hylians have it all written out so that there's no fighting over rights or property."

"Begging your pardon, Lady Zelda, but you need to tell him that."

Zelda walked with Antiada through the hallways, toward the study that Ganondorf favored. It had large windows that faced toward the desert, and was so spacious that it used braziers instead of torches to light it at night. It probably did somewhat resemble the huge, windowless rooms the Gerudo were accustomed to living in.

They found him at one of the tables, frowning down at scattered pieces of parchment. Numerous diagrams written in a strong elegant hand had been sketched across the paper. Zelda noted that Ganondorf always used Hylian script for simple matters or unfinished contemplation. Gerudo script was kept for permanent carving or sacred rites.

"Ah, you're here," he said by way of greeting, giving her the briefest of glances. "The nobles seem to be jockeying for position. They keep asking me where my daughters stand in the royal line, then asking if we intend to follow Hylian laws of marriage."

"And what have you told them?"

"Nothing yet," he said with a scowl. "I have very little patience with them. First they speak of my sisters and daughters as the scum of the earth, then demand to let their sons take them as wives purely to raise their position in the court. Not to mention the absurd restrictions your kind places on its women!"

"Welcome to the Hyrulean Throne," Zelda said with a sigh.

He snorted and shuffled the papers. "I don't think I can betray any of my daughters to that fate, though I suppose I should take consideration of who will take the throne once I am gone. Oh, don't look so shocked," he grumbled when her head jerked up in surprise. "Without the Triforce, I am mortal, and will pass on just like any other man. The issue," he said with his voice muted in contemplation, "is how to ensure that my people can still retain their honor after I depart."

Zelda shrugged. "In our culture, it is always the firstborn that takes the throne."

"Yes, but even as an only child, you don't have full authority over the throne," he replied. "A firstborn Hylian male takes the throne. After you married, your husband would have taken it."

Zelda said nothing.

Ganondorf was silent for a while, then said slowly, "You may not remember, but…your mother had little or no power. Your father was the one who made all the decisions. I don't want that to happen to one of my daughters."

_Your mother. _For once in her life, Zelda felt glad that she had died so young. At least she would never see what had happened to her country and her daughter.

"This is such an alien concept," Ganondorf grumbled as he shuffled through the papers. "There won't be another Gerudo male for a while after I die…so just picking one daughter is ridiculous. They are used to making decisions in groups." He frowned down at one of the pages. "And my eldest is too impulsive…too much like me. Hyrule needs someone…calmer, someone who can think things through."

"And none of your daughters are like that?"

"Actually, there are several. But which one should it be?"

Zelda picked up one of the pages. It had a name at the top with lines drawn to three further names below. All female Gerudo names. Zelda figured that that the father or fathers must be Hylian, and therefore had no place in the equation. She glanced at a long roll of parchment with numerous mothers and daughters listed. Zelda tried not to think too hard about it.

Ganondorf scowled down at his scribblings with a quill in his hand and an expression of intense concentration, looking for all the world like a scribe tackling a particularly difficult translation. Finally he leaned over and picked up a thick book from the floor. Zelda noted with surprise that it had her own family name on it.

"I know sometimes exceptions are made," he said. "See here, one of your great-aunts on your father's side. She was allowed to rule alone after her husband died. The others had to remarry."

"I hope you don't intend to marry off your daughters just long enough for them to kill their husbands," Zelda said dryly.

"No, of course not. I'm just looking to bend the rules a little bit…" He flipped through Zelda's family history. "You know, toward the beginning of Hylian rule, women had much more power. I think it came from the belief that one of the Queens was herself once a goddess. Errant nonsense, of course. Just an attempt to claim that the Hylians had rights to the land. But still, it would have been a better fate for you to have been born back then."

Zelda looked up, a little surprised and darkly amused that his "better fate" meant more power in the court, instead of free and not doomed to be subservient to a usurper.

Suddenly he put his quill down and looked up at her. "I can't imagine marrying off one of my daughters to someone she didn't know, who would eventually control her. But isn't that normal for you Hylians?"

"Sometimes in an arranged marriage, the boy and girl will be introduced to each other early on. Also, among the lower classes, it's not unusual for the woman to choose her husband…with both parents' permission, of course." Zelda felt defensive, though she didn't know why.

Ganondorf stared at the diagrams for a while. "Yes, but the problem is, whomever I choose will only produce daughters. It will probably take another generation for a male to be born. And if the heir to the throne is a daughter of a Gerudo and a Hylian, I know for certain that an attempt will be made on her birthright…"

"Why is this?" Zelda asked. She had always wondered why the Gerudo had so few men, but had never found anyone even willing to find out the answer.

"Don't know," Ganondorf said with a defeated sigh. "That was another reason I wanted the Triforce…so I could change it. As strong as our women are, the men of other races never take them seriously."

"It seems to me they take them very seriously."

"As a threat? Certainly. As a competent ruler? Of course not."

Zelda said nothing. He scribbled on the paper in silence for a while, then suddenly his head jerked up and he stared at her with a speculative look on his face. "What?" she demanded irritably.

"Just a thought…" Suddenly he rose from the chair, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. "Yes, of course! Why didn't I think of it before? Combined with Hylian royal blood…the baby is sure to be a male. And that gives us more legitimacy…it's perfect!"

All color drained from Zelda's face as his disjointed words began to come together in her mind. "What…what are you saying?"

"Well, your father was just going to marry you off to someone you didn't know anyway, right? And if I share the throne with you, then the leaders of the other races have to be more receptive. It's you they wanted there anyway…that fixes everything!"

"Please excuse me." Zelda turned tail and fled from the room, his voice echoing behind her, and Zelda too panicked to even realize he had spoken words.

"Was it something I said?"


	9. Chapter 9

Zelda slammed the door of her room behind her, gasping for breath. She had to restrain herself from breaking her mirror as she shrieked at her own image, for she had no one else to blame. "You fool!" she cried at the top of her voice. "Never show any weakness! You accepted a favor, and of course he wants one in return!"

She kicked a chair over, then thought better of it (there were only two chairs in the whole room). Zelda picked up every relatively soft object she could find - pillows, blankets, her own clothing - and tossed them all over the room. Red-faced and exhausted, she collapsed on the bed, too exhausted to care quite as much.

A knock at the door. "Stay out!" Zelda snarled, knowing that he could walk in if he wanted to.

"Milady, it's only me, Antiada." The woman's voice came through muffled from the door.

"I want to be alone," Zelda shouted, straining for civility. "Please come back later."

She waited, tense, until she heard footfalls moving further away. Zelda retrieved one of her pillows and laid down on the bed with it over her head.

* * *

><p>"She won't even open the door for you?"<p>

"No, my Lord."

Ganondorf scowled. "I don't understand. This would put her back on the throne, though of course she would have to share it. She doesn't strike me as the all-or-nothing type."

Antiada looked up at him, her face pensive. "My Lord, may I speak freely?"

His head jerked down in surprise. "Of course. Why wouldn't I permit you to speak your mind?"

Nervously picking at a stray thread on her clothing, Antiada said, "During the war…you were sometimes…not quite yourself."

Ganondorf's brows furrowed. "In what way?"

"Well…you were more demanding, and you ordered us numerous times not to speak. You would give orders without any consultation whatsoever…"

He took in a sharp breath. "I didn't…break either of the cardinal sins, did I?"

"Oh, no, my King," Antiada assured him. "Surely, a rape or murder of a fellow Gerudo would have pushed us to rebellion. But mostly we were just worried about your…state of mind. You had seized Hyrule, so we weren't about to complain, but…we were beginning to wonder if you…if you were…"

"Going mad?" He said gently enough that Antiada nodded in assent.

"I see." Ganondorf remained silent for several moments, and his worried expression did not change. Finally he said, "All right, I know that I was…not quite myself during that time. But what does it have to do with Zelda?"

"My Lord, I fear that your destruction of her plans has created an irrevocable rift between the two of you."

"What, her plans to seize the Triforce and send the boy to kill me? I wouldn't expect her to be over it so soon, but her reaction strikes me as more…"

"No, no, my King. How…how familiar are you with Hylian social customs?"

Ganondorf's scowl returned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Please permit me to explain…Hylian custom requires that she marry a Hylian man of noble birth. She would have no say in this matter…her father would have chosen her husband. It might have even been someone she didn't know…if the King wanted to create an alliance with another country, for instance, he would have her marry one of their royal family. She could even be forced to move to this other country."

"I know that already. I killed her father…he can't force her to marry anyone. I don't expect her to be happy that he's dead, but…"

"The young knight, my Lord. She worked closely with him while disguised as a Shekiah. She had put her faith in him to save her country. I believe they had become close."

He considered that for a moment. "Link? But…you have to _prove _noble birth in the Hylian court, don't you? He was an orphan, raised by the Kokiri…I doubt he has any genealogy lying around…"

Antiada waited before answering, as if trying to determine how to phrase her next words. "It wouldn't have mattered, my Lord, if…if he had succeeded in his quest. As a hero of the people, the offer would be open to him." She tugged at the stray string again. "From speaking with her, it is my understanding that she would have been the primary ruler, and ended this custom of forced marriage."

Ganondorf paled as the realization sank in. "So…I didn't just kill her champion, I…"

"Killed all hope for her future, and for others like her." Antiada blushed after speaking so frankly, but Ganondorf didn't seem to notice.

"But the throne is controlled by Gerudo now. I can just as easily change that custom."

"I understand, but…the entire arrangement would require her to face a very taboo subject among the Hylians."

"Which is?"

Antiada gave him a level look, almost as if lecturing him. "My King, we female Gerudo are raised from birth knowing how we were sired and what is expected of us in order to produce more children. But Hylians don't learn until much later…sometimes not until their wedding night."

He could not help laughing. "That's ridiculous!"

"Oh, but it is true, My King. We've come across men who thought that 'sleeping with' a woman meant just that - he could impregnate her just by lying next to her! You can imagine their reactions when we tried to explain!"

Chuckling, he asked, "Is that why some of them try to run away?"

Antiada became serious. "There are many rules of conduct among Hylians for this sort of thing, My Lord. The two that give us the most trouble is the rule stating that men and women cannot be with anyone but the one they married. The other is that no kind of sexual contact is allowed before marriage."

Ganondorf's smile dropped from his face. "You can't be serious."

"I speak the truth, My King. Why do you think it takes so much time to learn how to lure them home?"

"I have to confess I never thought about it." Rubbing his chin, he said more to himself than to her, "But I doubt Zelda is that ignorant,…the Hylians can't be such fools that they leave their next heirs to the mercy of these rules."

"She probably knows, but begging your pardon…to us it is as natural as breathing. It is an enormous, possibly traumatic event for a Hylian woman…if she does not trust her partner."

"I…see…" The slightest bit of apprehension surfaced in his voice. "To her it's as if I proposed holding a knife to her throat."

"Ah yes, my King. You have it exactly. She does not want to be put in a position where she would be helpless and possibly injured by you."

He gave her an indignant look. "I learned things too, Antiada. I know not all women are alike. It all depends on what she…"

"You cannot just ask her, my Lord," Antiada interrupted gently. "It's forbidden among them to talk about such things. Regardless of what you intend to do, she has it in her mind that you will essentially attack her. And there's no way for you to explain." She paused. "Also, if you go through with this, her own people will see her as…tainted."

"Is that what happens to the men you bring home?"

Antiada shook her head. "No, my King, the consequences are worse for Hylian women. Yes, the Hylians probably do not want any chance of a half-breed heir. But even if you were not Gerudo…a woman who lies with a man she is not married to…she loses a great deal of her worth in their eyes."

"That doesn't make sense."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, My King," she offered quickly. "But the stigma is so great…there are so many taboos connected to your proposal. Even if she were not afraid of you, she would feel that she was committing a great wrong. It's totally unacceptable behavior…like a Gerudo running from battle."

"They take this that seriously?"

"Yes, my King."

With a snort, he demanded, "What do you suggest I do, then?"

"It is permitted for women to discuss such things among each other, but it would take time for me to introduce these concepts to her," Antiada said. "Even in the company of other women, they do not speak frankly, and she will not trust me if she knows I have spoken with you about it."

Ganondorf made an exasperated sigh. "Fine, then. Go as slowly as you need, but update me on what progress you do make."

* * *

><p>For the first time in years, Zelda strode through the streets of the Castle Town. As a princess, she would not have been permitted to do so without her father's permission and armed guards. But nobody cared if the Lady Zelda left the castle. The new freedom filled a little of the hole in her heart that had formed when lost her kingdom.<p>

She had chosen a plain dress, but the people recognized her anyway. They smiled, and waved, and bowed before her. All this goodwill, even though she had failed them. Perhaps they simply preferred her to the new ruler? Or perhaps they didn't expect a young woman to accomplish anything better?

Zelda pushed those thoughts away from her mind. She was finally able to walk leisurely under the open sky, to speak with her own people. She watched the carpenters building houses and shops, finally breathing life back into the town that had been a burnt, broken shell during Ganondorf;s first attempt at rule.

"Ah, my Lady Zelda!" She turned to see Morton, one of the lesser nobility. He was one of those that she did not like; but the sun on her face and the relaxed atmosphere canceled out any ill will toward the man.

"Good day, Morton. You seem well."

"As do you, Milady. Our home is nearly finished; please, come and refresh yourself."

Zelda gave him a polite smile. "Ah, your offer is most welcome, but I would prefer to stay outside. It has been many years since I have been able to feel the wind in my hair."

Morton clapped his hands together. "Ah, I have just the thing! Our courtyard is not as grand as it once was, but we have a few early flowers, as well as some chairs and a little table. Come along, my wife will make us some tea, and she just finished a lovely cake, the first we've had in years!"

Zelda's mouth watered at the thought of something other than Gerudo cooking. She accepted the invitation and followed Morton to his home, where his wife, son, and young daughter received her at the door. As his wife led her to the courtyard, Zelda noticed here and there some signs that everything was not quite finished, a portrait not quite covering a hole in a wall, fire-blackened wood alongside replacement beams in the walls.

"How is the tea, Milady?" Morton asked as he sat with her in the garden.

"Quite lovely, thank you."

"I don't think you've ever met my son, Andrew," he said, gesturing toward the young man sitting next to him, about Zelda's age. Andrew stood and bowed.

"I'm sure we met some years ago," Zelda said. "Forgive me if I don't remember."

"Why don't you go help your mother in the kitchen?" Morton asked, and the boy left with another bow. Turning to Zelda, he said, "The boy is quite bright, you know. He was a scribe's apprentice before…well, you know."

"I'm sure he's anxious to get back to his studies."

"Oh yes, certainly. Of course, we've lost many of our books and scrolls…but surely there must be more at the castle?"

"Not that many, I'm afraid. But perhaps he might be interested in what we do have."

Morton nodded enthusiastically, then looked around, lowering his voice. "We will need some scribes to write out this terrible chapter of our history, won't we?"

Zelda frowned. "History is history, Morton. Both the good and bad need to be recorded."

"Of course, of course. And I'm certain you'll need plenty of assistance in your new kingdom."

"Morton…please remember my position."

"Yes, yes, I didn't mean anything by that. But tell me, Zelda, you must have a need for visitors once in a while. Perhaps you could show Andrew around the library. You might have similar tastes."

"I'm certain the King would give permission."

A shadow passed over Morton's face. "Well, I would hope so. There's nothing dangerous in poking around in books, is there? He's not a mage, after all. He's not looking at spell books!"

They both laughed. After a few more minutes of chatter, Zelda stood and stated that it was time for her to leave.

"Say no more, Milady. Remember that our home is always open to you, if you need someone to speak to."

"Thank you, Morton."

"Would it be all right if Andrew came to your library in a few days? He's been away from his studies for so long."

"I don't see why not."

"Excellent!" A huge grin spread across his face. "I'm sure the two of you will become fast friends. Farewell, Milady."

Zelda had already started back to the castle when she realized what was bothering her about the conversation. The throne might not be available to Hylians anymore, but they would be seeking influence the best way they could. Like through the hand of the King's advisor.

The bidding had begun.


	10. Chapter 10

The cool mineral water had a sweet taste, and Zelda drank deeply before she put down her stone cup. Damun the Goron smiled as he offered the heavy iron decanter. "Would you care for some more?"

"A little more, thank you," she replied, and he easily poured water from the vessel that certainly weighed at least as much as she did. Zelda took short, small sips, trying to draw out her visit as long as possible.

"So how are things back at the castle?" Damun asked, after skirting around the topic for a good hour. After all, as the new Patriarch, he had a right and even a duty to know.

"As well as can be expected," she replied listlessly, staring into her cup. "He doesn't make a good King, but at least he is trying."

"I suppose that's a miracle in itself. All that madness couldn't come from the holy relic alone, after all. Some of it must have been there for him to plot to take it in the first place."

Zelda hated this topic. She had left the castle to get away from it. But the Zora King wouldn't leave it alone, either. She knew they were all waiting with bated breath for him to ruin something else. "He is protective of his own people, and seems to understand that they are less prone to attack if he ingratiates the other races."

"Sounds like things are going surprisingly well, then," Damun offered. After an awkward pause, he said, "I suppose he will have to visit on his own, eventually. How long do you think you will need to teach him?"

Zelda sidestepped this with another question. "Damun, how do your people decide who will be the next Patriarch?" The topic had been covered somewhere in her childhood lessons, but her mind had been preoccupied with the dark, foreboding man she watched from the courtyard.

"Hm?" Damun brought his hand to his face, a sign of surprise and contemplation. "Well, leadership and strength are the two qualities a Patriarch needs, so…there are tests of strength, like wrestling, carrying boulders, what have you…but as for leadership, the Gorons choose who they wish to follow. Actually, that's not really correct…it implies that there are a lot of leaders to choose from. It's more like someone steps forward."

"And you were the one that stepped forward?"

"Yes, though…it's not as if I made any declarations. Things needed to be done, and I did some of the harder ones, and then the others started looking to me for guidance. It just…falls into place."

Zelda couldn't imagine this. "There is no arguing over roles? Has there never been a fight between two would-be leaders?"

Now Damun had the uncomprehending expression. "Oh, it's happened once or twice, I suppose. But it's always settled with a test of strength. The weaker one always stands down." He turned to her as it suddenly dawned on him. "You're wondering why we never fight among ourselves."

"Yes…I mean I know you quarrel sometimes, but I've never heard of a clan battle, or something like that…"

Damun sat back in his chair. Despite being made of stone, it groaned from his weight. "Well, the truth is, we Gorons have only been living together like this for a couple hundred years. Before that, we lived more or less on our own. We're pretty independent, and we don't need much to survive. We eat rocks, sleep on rocks, and are rather hard to damage."

Zelda couldn't help but laugh a little at that last statement. "Yes, that makes sense. Is that why you have so few children, because Gorons don't die as easily as Hylians or Zora?" A surprising thought crossed her mind. "If you don't mind me asking…where do Gorons come from? I've never seen a female…"

"Gorons come from the Goddess, Din."

"Well, yes, we all…"

"No, no, that's not what I mean." Damun shook his head. "We really do come from Din's forge, deep in the mountains. Every fifty years or so, the Patriarch journeys to the heart of the mountain to find a new one, and brings him above ground."

"Fifty years!" Zelda exclaimed. "Gorons must live a long time!"

He laughed. "A long time indeed. My grandfather met the First Hero, eons ago, back before the Hylians' Guardian Goddess gave up her divinity."

Zelda sat up, ramrod straight. "Wait, you have your own version of that legend? I thought that was just something the Hylians made up to claim rights to the Triforce…"

"I'm sure some of the details differ, but the main points are the same. Din created the Gorons, Nayru the Zora, and Farore all the lesser creatures. Hylia, the youngest, created humans in her own image and lived among them, as she was too young to make beings able to take care of themselves. But when she got in an argument with the Triforce Guardian, who feared that her people were too weak to resist its call, she sealed him away and gave her own people the task of its protector."

"And she gave up her divinity, but her spirit lives on in her descendants," Zelda finished for him. "But if their resolve ever wavers, it will bring back Hyrule's Demise." She turned to Damun. "I've always wondered…why didn't her older sisters step in?"

Damun took a long drink of water before he spoke. "I don't know for sure…but among us, the story goes that the Three wanted their sister to learn from her mistakes. Hyrule as a place, as a home for the Gorons and and Zora and all the other creatures, will always exist, though its form may change. If the Hylians were to survive, well, that was Hylia's responsibility."

Zelda said nothing. Her mother had broken the chain of succession, so Hylia's spirit could not be reborn to ensure the Triforce's protection. Was that what the legend meant about Hyrule's Demise?

* * *

><p>Ganondorf's ears caught the sound of an old wooden staff hitting the floor, over and over again. As its owner slowly rounded the corner into the study, he stood and greeted her. "Good Morning, Grandmother Mitari. Would you care for some tea?"<p>

"I would," she said as she inched her way over to the table. She was not so much weak as she was stubborn, taking her time because she wanted to. Regardless of whether or not the person waiting for her was the King of Gerudo. "Ahhh…an old wound, it pains me. You couldn't get a cushion for an old lady to sit on, could you?"

"Of course." When he was younger, it irritated him to have to cater to the elders. Princes and Kings were not fit for such things, he said. But as he began to partake of the great knowledge stored in their minds, he became much more patient. "Sit here, Grandmother, and I will pour the tea."

Gerudo tea was much more flavorful than its Hylian counterpart, seasoned with cactus spines that tasted like cinnamon and licorice. "Ah, yes, that's much better," Mitari said as she sat down and took a sip of the tea. "It's so cold here, my bones creak with every step. Young King…I can sense a disturbance in the Spirit Temple."

Ganondorf's cup stopped halfway between the table and his mouth. "A disturbance? You mean like a lost soul?"

"Yes. Can't you hear it crying at night? No? Well, then, perhaps you haven't been practicing how to listen. Your crusade is finished; it's time for you to come back to Gerudo matters."

"I am responsible for this entire country, Grandmother," Ganondorf said, trying to keep his voice level. "It's not just about the Gerudo anymore."

"What about the Hylian girl?" Mitari demanded. Only Antiada referred to her as the Lady Zelda. All the other Gerudo called her "that girl", or even "that wench". "Let her take care of her fellow point-ears."

"She is meeting with the Zora and Goron representatives," Ganondorf answered. "She is doing more than her fair share."

"You should appoint her to a permanent position."

"I'm trying, Grandmother. But these things must be handled with caution."

Mitari groaned and sat back in her chair. "I know what you're planning, and it is foolish, Young King. She'll never agree to it. Besides, there are plenty of Gerudo women to choose from!"

"A King doesn't make alliances by surrounding himself with only his own people," Ganondorf pointed out.

"Mmm." Mitari said nothing for a while as she drank her tea. "Regardless…someone needs to travel to the Spirit Temple. If the lost soul is left too long, it will start to cause harm."

"I understand, Grandmother. I'll take care of it straightaway."

"Good, good." Mitari slowly rose to her feet, grasping her staff. "You mustn't forget your old duties. We will need to appoint a new Spirit Temple guardian, but for now, you're the only one who can both travel there and speak to the spirits."

"I understand."

Ganondorf watched her hobble out of the room, then frowned down into his teacup. He took a long drink, then stared down into the dregs. Little flecks of fine needles clumped together in a wavering pattern, a long, thin wavy line. The snake, bringer of sudden, hidden misfortune.

He snorted and turned the cup over, picking up the tray and bringing it to the kitchen himself. Foolishness, he thought to himself. Just a way for the fortune-tellers to con their customers out of a few rupees, that's all. Not a bit of truth in it.

"But Lady Zelda, this book was printed by your own people. Surely you've seen…"

"Antiada, that book is for the Royal Family, of which I'm no longer a member. Put the book away, please."

Antiada made no move to put the book down. She had found a volume of Hylian marriage customs that was much more explicit than the usual. "But you're familiar with it, no? It says in the beginning that these things should be taught to a princess when she comes of age. I'm assuming that means…"

Zelda made an exasperated sigh as she stopped unpacking. Antiada had practically been standing on the doorstep with the book and she hadn't gotten a moment to herself after leaving Damun. "For the love of Nayru, Antiada, leave it alone. Yes, I had to read the book. But it's not relevant to me now."

Acting as if she hadn't heard, Antiada thumbed through the book until she found the passage she was looking for. "I can understand why it would trouble you, Milady. There is a great deal of bad advice here. Look, this passage, page ninety-eight: 'A prince must be treated as a King throughout the castle, including in the bedroom. You must submit to his wishes, for only then can…oh!" she exclaimed as Zelda snatched it out of her hands.

Zelda hurled it into the fireplace, and with a snap of her fingers, a roaring fire filled the gap between the stones. "There. It's a bad book, so it's gone now. No need to worry."

Antiada gaped open-mouthed for a split second, then switched tactics. "But Milady, that's not how we Gerudo do these things. Creating new life should not be such a chore! Why should a woman suffer by participating in the ritual of life? Now, our King…"

"For Goddesses' sake, Antiada!" Zelda exclaimed as she clapped her hands over her ears. "If you insist on carrying on this conversation, I'm going to ask you to leave!"

She waited for a full minute with her hands over her ears, and Antiada didn't budge. The moment she lowered her hands, Antiada burst into speech again. "Milady, it is forbidden for a Gerudo man to take a woman by force! To rape or to kill another Gerudo, that is a crime punishable by death!"

"I'm not Gerudo."

"But he already considers you one of the tribe! The Elders would hand down the sentence if he tried anything like that. To kill or to rape one's own…for even a King, Milady, that would be a grave sin!"

Suddenly Zelda froze, clutching one of her summer dresses. "Antiada," she said slowly. "Do you speak the truth? Has this ever happened before, in your history? Would a King really submit to the rule of the Elders?"

"Goddesses above, of course! Why, Ganondorf's great-granduncle attempted to poison one of his advisors, and he was beheaded! For merely attempting a crime! You see, Milady, a defective seed can't be allowed to be planted. And any children he already has will be banned from taking any men; they can be warriors and caregivers only."

"I see," Zelda said slowly. "Antiada, will you excuse me? There's something I need to do."

"What, Milady?" Antiada asked, troubled by the odd tone in her voice.

"I just need to ask a few questions, that's all. Stay here until I return."

The door shut behind her. Antiada stood bewildered, wondering if her words had brought on something good or something bad.

* * *

><p>"Ganondorf! Wait a moment," Zelda called after him as she spotted him in the hallway.<p>

"Ah, Lady Zelda. Did your meetings go well?" There was a strange tone in her voice that put him on edge, but he showed no sign of it on the outside.

She marched up to him with purpose, so much so that he had to stop himself from taking a step back. "Ganondorf. I will marry you under one condition."

"Oh? And what would that be?" he asked, caught off guard and wondering why she would make such a forceful offer on something she had pointedly avoided.

"You must tell the Gerudo the truth about Nabooru."

All the color drained from his face. Zelda felt a sense of triumph swell within her as fear clouded his eyes. "I…I beg your pardon?"

Her face tightened, her eyes narrowing to little slits. "You know exactly what I mean. I was there, as Sheik. Link defeated Nabooru in battle, but Koume and Kotake killed her. And if killing another Gerudo is such a grave sin, they must have been ordered to do so."

"I see," he said thickly. "So you know about that law."

"Nabooru went against you, so you ordered her put into magical sleep, and then killed if she ever woke up. Link saved her from her enslavement, but she died anyway, and her blood is on your hands."

He turned away from her. "Why…why are you doing this? The Triforce…"

"Nabooru's enchantment came early on in the game, so don't blame this on the Triforce. You were perfectly sane when you gave those orders."

He turned back to her, eyes ablaze. "I could kill you," he said in a low, cutting voice that would have frozen her blood if it were not already boiling hot. "I could kill you now and nobody would know."

"You could," she acquiesced simply. "And you could freeze the Zora again, and feed the Gorons to a dragon, and let monsters run loose over Hyrule…if that's the only thing you can ever think of to solve your problems." Her expression softened slightly. "Ganondorf…if you wish to be a fair king, to undo the injustices that my father inflicted upon your people, then you must show me that you have the honor and integrity to do so."

"Then…" he said as his mind raced. "Then you are not just doing this to get rid of me?"

Her gaze fell to the floor. "If you bring your crime to the Elders, and are still alive after whatever punishment they bestow upon you…I will have no more objections. You will have paid for your crimes against me, and against Hyrule." Raising her head, she issued her final challenge. "Are you enough of a man to do it?"

His eyes flicked back to the hallway behind her. "This is…a serious decision. I can't give you an answer right away."

"Very well." She turned around without a backward glance. "I have all the time in the world."


	11. Chapter 11

For the next few weeks, Ganondorf showed an uncharacteristic degree of procrastination as he became inundated with more requests. First a team of chefs for visitors, cooks who were familiar with the dietary needs of Gorons and Zora. Then a gardener, who restored the courtyard that the Lady Zelda still haunted. Then servants for the Hylian and Zora nobles who could not cope without such things.

The Gerudo women objected to having so many outsiders in the castle. They wanted to let their children run around free, to be able to speak without wondering who might be listening. Some began wearing their veils again in protest, stating that if falsely accused they could use anonymity to defend themselves. Others took their grievances with them into Ganondorf's bedroom.

After several nights of little sleep, Ganondorf scowled down at the Hylian boy that had prostrated himself before the throne, trying to remember just what it was that the boy had requested. He was not about to ask Zelda for help, as she was the entire reason he was in this foul mood. He had missed half of the boy's platitudes, with their insincere flattery and backhanded compliments, instead focusing on Zelda's maddeningly serene expression.

She doesn't think I can do it, Ganondorf thought angrily to himself. She believes me to be a coward.

And yet, he had to admit that whenever he considered revealing his crime to the rest of the Gerudo, he could not stop thinking of ways he could twist the story to lessen its blow. He had dismissed lying straight off - Zelda had been there, she would make her voice heard if he lied. So he ran the events over and over in his mind, trying to see what he could do if he had to stay so close to the facts.

He had been in the right to order Nabooru put under enchantment. She - and a few of the others - had quite vocally disagreed with him over the affair of the Triforce. There was no way he could keep his ultimate goal from all of his people. Some had supported the idea of using the Hylian's power against them, stating he could never succeed where others had failed without some secret weapon. But Nabooru's group claimed that no good could possibly come from the use of Hylian magics, magics that even he did not fully understand.

The affair should have been settled on his final diplomatic trip to Hyrule Castle, after he attempted to gather the Spiritual Stones. The Council had voted to support his endeavor, and most of the naysayers needed no urging to stay silent. But Nabooru, his second-in-command, his blood sister, refused to follow him. She had said nothing, but he could sense her heart was against him. So he ordered the two witches, who had taught him the dark arts, to keep her under watch and neutralize her if she actively opposed him.

The fact that she had been under enchantment for seven years was also not a crime, though the Council certainly would frown upon it being kept a secret so long. Nabooru had committed treason, yes, but it was not up to the King to determine her punishment alone. As soon as she had been neutralized, he should have brought her to the Council. But he had fallen so quickly under the Triforce of Power's corruption. Shortly after the castle siege, he had received a message from the witches asking what to do with the Spirit Temple guardian. He told them to do nothing - unless she freed herself or someone else freed her from her enchantment. He made it clear that if that happened, she had to die.

That was the order that now had not only his position as King, but his very life in the hands of the Lady Zelda. He cursed himself for giving her such an opening, even though he knew he had been mad when he had given that order. The fact that he had been under the influence of Hylian magic did not matter. He was the one who had proposed stealing it, and he had assured the Council that he knew how to use it. If he had miscalculated, that was his own fault.

But Ganondorf's fears had little to do with his own life. He feared for his people, what would happen to them if he was executed. The Lady Zelda was sympathetic to the Gerudo, but she was only a Hylian female. She would have to take a male Hylian husband, and he would use his position to turn his people against Ganondorf's. What power Zelda had as a member of the Royal Family, and the daughter of the former king, was weakened by the fact that her chosen Hero had lost Hyrule to the Gerudo King.

And yet, in the back of his mind, he could hear his elder sister taunting him. What will you do, Nabooru had asked, if this plan of yours goes wrong? What happens if you make things even worse for our people? Then it would be better that you had never been born.

"My Lord?" one of the guards at his side prompted, jolting him out of his thoughts. The boy still kneeled there, not daring to raise his head. Ganondorf gave Zelda a sidelong look, and he thought he saw the ghost of a mocking smile pass her lips.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that he should not act rashly after kicking himself for doing just that. But then his elder sister had always known that he could not keep his temper. "Your wish is granted," he said, doubting that it could be of any importance. "Now leave."

The boy bobbed up and down in a series of comical bows, then sprinted from the room. Ganondorf called for a recess, asking everyone to leave. As the guards stepped away, he caught one by the shoulder. "What did he want?" he asked in a low voice.

She gave him a surprised look, but answered just as softly, "He merely wanted access to the castle's library, my King."

He let her go. "Ah, so it was of no consequence, just as I thought." He decided not to let the matter bother him any further. There were few books left of any kind, and he had already burned the ones that held any useful information on the Triforce.

* * *

><p>"I've always been interested in the origins of Hyrule, haven't you? It's a pity there are so few books on the subject. Do you remember what you were taught as a child? We really should study together sometime, perhaps over lunch."<p>

"Mmm." Zelda tried to concentrate on the book in her hands, but Andrew's words seemed to needle their way through her ears and into her brain. She silently cursed Ganondorf's decision to let him into the castle as a scribe-in-training, even though she knew he could not have done it just to annoy her.

She sat on the other side of the room, with her back to him, but he continued on as if he hadn't noticed. "You know, it's a pity we lost so much in the wars. I imagine that even in the darkest times, there were tales of valor. Do you remember any?"

Zelda looked up from her book and gave him a thin smile. "I beg your pardon, Andrew, but I'm not much of a storyteller."

"Oh, come now. You don't give yourself enough credit. Surely you must know some stories about Hyrule at its zenith."

"I'm sorry, Andrew, it saddens me to think of such things, seeing how low Hyrule has fallen."

He walked over and sat down next to her. She moved over as if to give him more room, but he nudged even closer. Zelda tried to lean away without seeming too rude. "Ah, Milady, I'm so sorry. Forgive me for causing you pain. All of us have suffered so much over these past seven years, though none of us as much as you."

"Yes, well…I prefer to think of the future rather than the past."

"Indeed!" Andrew sprang from his seat, then marched over to the table where he had placed a quill and some blank paper. "I will ensure that our present history is not just a tale of woe. Things can only get better from here, Milady, if we have the strength to see it through."

Despite the overly ambitious speech, Zelda felt the need to give him some support. "Such words warm my heart."

He gave her a wide smile. "Milady, I am at your service. I promise to help you forget the pain of the past few years. As long as I am with you, I will do my best to give you hope." With that, he plunged into a flowery narrative, feeling the need to speak aloud every word he wrote. Zelda attempted to block him out, but it grew increasingly difficult as he went on.

"…the wise Lady Zelda, knowing the King could not possibly understand such matters on his own, sacrificed her position so that she could bravely stand by her people in the face of these untimely events…"

"You know, Andrew," she said at last, "You are treading dangerously close to treason with that attitude toward the King."

He turned toward her, with an expression she did not recognize at first; a pitying look. "Ah, Milady, I know you cannot speak ill of your guardian."

"My what?"

"You are the King's Ward, are you not? But do not fear, Lady Zelda. We men of Hyrule know how you must have suffered. Why, I myself would approach the King, if you were to ask…so that his guardianship of you might transfer to me."

With a shock Zelda remembered what happened to the other ladies of the court once they reached her age; they were transferred from one male guardian (the father) to another (the husband). Even her mother the Queen had limited freedom, but the ladies of the court had even less. They could not even go into the Castle Town without approval. The same applied to the Queen, but that was a matter of national security; the ladies were treated this way because they were merely an extension of their husbands' property Since her father was dead and she had no husband, under Hylian law she was a ward of the State.

"Are you ill, Milady?" Andrew asked.

Zelda put on her best fake smile. "I do feel a bit unwell. I think I shall go outside; too much time behind stone walls is not good for anyone. I think I shall go into the courtyard. Please, do continue your work."

"As you wish!" he said, beaming, and turned back to his desk.

* * *

><p>The new gardener had gone overboard, packing every inch of the soil in the courtyard with bright blooms and silvery-green bushes. Only the marble flagstones were free, and those had been scrubbed clean. Zelda appreciated the change, however gaudy it might be. It had once again become a quiet sanctum, instead of the place where she met the boy whom she had sent off to die.<p>

She brought with her the lyre she had carried as Sheik, one of a very few royal heirlooms Impa had managed to grab before their impromptu escape. She had learned to play it at an early age, as custom dictated that royals should be cultured, and the organ was considered too powerful for a girl. She knew several tunes she had never taught to Link, ancient songs whose magic had faded over the years. The rich, harmonic sound of the lyre relaxed her.

Today, however, the lyre was not enough to set her heart at peace. Andrew's inquiry had set her blood racing, both in anger and in fear. It was bad enough that she had to comply with Ganondorf's wishes; at least he was flexible enough that she could worm her way out of the more irritating requests. Andrew would simply expect her to obey. She could not conceal a sneer upon thinking that she had greater freedom under the Gerudo King; but then, she knew, that was merely cultural, not his personality. Surrounded by female warriors, he could not comprehend the idea of women that neither worked nor cared for their own children.

Her body and spirit ached for escape, even though she knew there was no place that she could go. Casting a quick look around, she ran her fingers along the strings, letting loose the spell of transformation. Her hair shortened, her eyes turned crimson, and her dress wavered and shifted into her Shekiah garments. With a smile of satisfaction she unsheathed the dagger belted onto her back, and began a long rundown of practice moves, oiling the rust from her joints.

* * *

><p>Ganondorf always made sure he was the first one in the throne room. The Hylian King had always made such a production of it, a whole ceremony dedicated to just walking in the door, and Ganondorf found it to be a waste of time. Besides, what idiot would dare expose his back to the enemy? The throne was not meant to be used as a mere chair.<p>

Movement caught his eye as he walked past one of the windows that looked out onto the courtyard. For a brief second he considered reaching for the dagger in the boot of his armor, then remembered that no true shadow-walker still lived in Hyrule. It had to be the Lady Zelda, dressed in her old disguise. He would have turned and left her to her amusement, but something in her movement stopped him.

She blocked and struck in one fluid motion, revealing knotted muscles that up until now been hidden in delicate silk. He watched in amazement as she actually ran a few steps up one wall, flipped, and landed neatly on her feet. As he stood there, transfixed, he wondered if perhaps one of his own people was playing some kind of trick on him. He had heard his people praise the skill of the mysterious Shekiah that spied on them from the shadows during the Seven Years, but he couldn't imagine the Lady Zelda in that Shekiah's clothing. Even though he had watched her exchange them for royal dress with his own eyes.

He took a moment to reflect on the irony of the situation…he watched through this same window where she had spied on him all those years ago, unnoticed and unseen just as she had been until that fateful day that the would-be Hero arrived. He had found her childish plotting amusing…but he doubted she would be pleased to know he was standing there. He was about to leave when a voice cried out from the other end of the courtyard, "What in the name of the Goddesses!"

Zelda stopped immediately, changing her clothing back to its original appearance. Ganondorf scowled as he saw the owner of the voice enter the courtyard; the fool gardener, probably scared to death as he came to weed the flowerbeds.

"I beg your pardon," said Damien, the gardener. He was another former noble that had found a method to weasel his way back into the castle. Ganondorf had to give him a little credit, though; he hadn't thought the nobles would stoop to getting their hands dirty. "I didn't know it was you, Lady Zelda."

"I apologize for frightening you," Zelda said, breathless. "It's Damien, isn't it? I just…needed a little exercise."

"Ah, of course," Damien replied, though the shock didn't leave his face. He walked over to her and lightly took her arm, patting her on the hand. Her back was turned to Ganondorf, so he couldn't see her expression. "Milady, you have suffered for so long! I can't imagine a lady of your stature being forced to defend herself against the monsters that roamed this land."

"I wasn't forced…" she began to say, but he cut her off.

"Milady, my family has a strong household, and we are on very good terms with the Gorons. You would be much safer in our mountain cottage…ah, but I am getting ahead of myself!" He turned from her toward Ganondorf and kneeled. "Your Majesty, if it pleases you, I would relieve you of your ward."

Zelda had spun around upon hearing 'Your Majesty' and her face tightened upon seeing Ganondorf there. But he didn't notice her expression. "Relieve me of my ward?" he growled, not sure of the source of his anger. "Your Hylian customs dismay me. The Lady Zelda is not mine to keep, nor to give away. She is a free citizen of this country, and is free to make her own decisions." With that he whirled around and stalked back to his throne, out of sight of the two in the courtyard.

Damien stood and took Zelda's hand, nearly crushing it in his excitement. "Did you hear? Speak, Milady, and I will grant you true freedom from the usurper king!"

"Please let go, you're hurting me." She winced more than was necessary, and he immediately dropped her hand, apologizing profusely. "I…your offer is not something I can agree to right away…"

His face darkened in suspicion. "Are there others that would ask for the hand of the Lady?"

"Yes," she said automatically, more to buy time than anything else.

"Ah! I see. But please, Milady, consider my offer. My family will be in touch." He left the courtyard, looking back over his shoulder with a smile as he did so.

Zelda returned the smile with a cheeriness she did not feel. At some point, she knew, she had to make a decision, and none of the choices were to her liking.


	12. Chapter 12

"Good heavens," Zelda exclaimed upon seeing the scuffed-up, dirt-stained young man tied up tightly with bramble and vines. The bramble dug into his skin, leaving long bloody scratches, but he seemed less concerned about that than the Gerudo who had dragged him into the castle. Taking note of the bindings, Zelda bent down and asked the young man, "Were you poaching in the forest?"

He gave her a pleading look. "Begging your pardon, Lady Zelda, but the old woman who makes potions in Kakariko offered me some rupees if I got her a special kind of mushroom. I haven't done anything…" here he glanced up in disgust. "Anything the Gerudo wouldn't do."

The woman kicked him. "Enough!" Zelda snapped at her, then turned to the young man, frowning. "The old woman offered to pay you because her last hunter was turned into a Stalfos, with permission from my father." The young man's eyes widened, and he began to tremble. "The new King has ordered that poachers merely be brought here for a lesser punishment."

Snapping out of his tremors, the boy snarled "So gathering mushrooms is a worse crime than leaving a baby in the fields to die?"

Zelda's brows knitted together. "What? What on earth are you talking about?"

The boy jerked his head in the direction of the Gerudo. "Ask her about it."

She stood up straight, and for the first time noticed that the baby's sling wasn't intricately embroidered like the ones the rest of the Gerudo wore. It was made with simple leather and bore no decoration. But there was a living baby in it, and it fussed slightly as the Gerudo stood straight, with no indication that anything of concern was happening.

"You…you weren't going to expose the baby, were you?" Zelda asked with a gasp of horror.

Not a flicker of emotion crossed over the woman's face. If anything, she looked irritated at being questioned. "The baby did not have any zeal for life," she replied flatly. "She was born blue in the face, and didn't cry. But when I found this fool at the edge of Hyrule Field," she said with nudge of her foot, "the baby let forth a raucous cry. So I brought her back."

"How could you abandon your own child!" Zelda cried.

The Gerudo stared at her as if she were crazy. "If a child refuses to fight for life, then what will it fight for? There's no place for weakness in the tribe. Those who have no use are cast out. But…" here her face softened ever so slightly. "I admit I was hasty in making my determination. Regardless, it's not your concern. The King will have an appropriate punishment waiting for me." She terminated the conversation by stalking off, leaving Zelda with the still-tied poacher.

* * *

><p>"Don't be a fool. The only way to secure Hyrule's future is to remove him from the throne entirely."<p>

Ganondorf froze as his ears picked up the conversation. He didn't have the Hylians' long, ridiculous ears, but he had always been able to hear others speak about him before they knew he was near; and besides, the two people talking were speaking far too loudly to expect their conversation to stay secret.

Growing up in a network of caves gave the Gerudo a keenness for interpreting sounds in the echoes of long hallways. The two speakers were probably a couple of turns ahead of him, completely unaware of his presence.

"You're the fool," the second man snapped back. "If Her Highness's Hero couldn't cut him down, what chance do we have? You've seen her influence him. We can use her to keep him more or less in line, like leading a horse."

Ganondorf recognized the two voices; Damien and Andrew, the two men that had been pursuing the Lady Zelda. So everything they had done so far was an effort to get to her, and by proxy, to him. Not surprising.

"Don't you see, Andrew? He's completely lost without her. If I take Zelda away from the castle entirely, his reign will crumble."

Andrew snorted. "Perhaps, but in case you haven't noticed, the King deals with his problems like a small child. If something goes wrong, he throws a tantrum. A gigantic, sword-wielding, spell casting tantrum."

Ganondorf tried to step forward, intending to slip in behind them and give them a harmless fright, then suddenly found he could not. Andrew's words rang in his head: A small child having a tantrum. His last argument with Nabooru flashed in his mind, his mad rage upon finding the Triforce had split in the Temple of Time. He thought he had exacted terrible revenge. The soothsayers declared it, the villagers whispered it behind their hands, the Hero challenged it, the dead moaned it in the dark. And yet…

Ganondorf turned around and walked away from the two men, leaving them to their argument.

* * *

><p>One of the elders approached the throne. "Please, my King, the next order of business is a purely Gerudo matter."<p>

He grunted, his main form of communication as of late. "All others depart," he announced, amid hushed grumbling among the non-Gerudo. "You stay here," he said to Zelda. Curious, she didn't question him.

Ganondorf noticed Zelda's eyes light up with recognition. A Gerudo approached the throne, with a baby in a sling over her back. It looked like she had hurriedly wrapped unmarked leather in their trademark cloth, the naked child snuggled in animal furs.

The woman kneeled. "My King, I gave birth last night, but the child appeared to have no zeal for life. So I brought her to the fields, but she awakened reborn. I should have been more careful in deciding her fate; I bear full responsibility."

The entire room held its breath, some of the women backing away in disgust. Though the child had lived, the sentence varied greatly on the mood of the King. He could declare her an unfit mother, give her child to the care of another, and forbid her from bearing any more. Or he could simply order lashings, or hard labor. Among the Gerudo, a few flicks of a whip was a light sentence for any crime.

Ganondorf struggled to clear his mind, but all he could see was Nabooru kneeling before him, just as she had before his last journey to the castle, pleading with him to reconsider. How could he pass judgment on this woman when he had committed a crime against his own people? How could he berate her for not protecting her child, when he had put his entire tribe in danger? How could he blame her for leaving the baby in the fields, when he had ordered the execution of his own blood sister?

His audience waited with bated breath; he could feel Zelda's keen blue eyes on him. "My King?" one of the guards gently prompted him.

They all jumped as one when his fist slammed down on the arm of the throne. "I do not have the ability to decide this matter."

They all heard him speak, understood that he'd made words, but the string of them together formed a sentence that made no sense. The woman on her knees raised her head tentatively. "My…my Lord?"

Abruptly he stood, strode forward, walked past the woman on the floor without acknowledging her. "I will speak with the Council."

At this statement, all of the women in the room rearranged themselves, with several of the elders forming a half-moon in front of him. The rest of the Gerudo fanned out behind in order of age. Antiada took Zelda's hand and pulled her toward the edge of the group. Zelda noticed a younger woman among the elders, bearing a multitude of battle scars. She recognized the woman as Aveil, who had been Nabooru's second-in-command.

They waited. Staring at the members of the Council without seeing them, Ganondorf said, "I am in no position to pass judgment. I must put an end to all the lies. The Hylian Hero was not responsible for Nabooru's death."

He fell to one knee, and stated in the stunned silence that followed, "I am."

* * *

><p>The room erupted in chaos. Women shrieked, children wailed. Antiada raked her fingernails across her face, crying, "It can't be, it can't be!"<p>

Zelda sank slowly down onto the floor. He did it, she thought to herself. I didn't believe that he could.

She stared at the warlord, conqueror of her kingdom, kneeling to an angry contingent of old women that berated him as if he were a small child. She was still not fluent in Gerudo, but she recognized a number of words that she didn't think she would ever hear spoken to a monarch.

The womens' grief turned to anger, and as Zelda watched, several of the crowd stood up one by one and berated their King, jabbing fingers and shouting in clipped, high-pitched Gerudo. He bore it all without the slightest reaction.

It suddenly occurred to Zelda that she should be afraid. What would happen now?

The angry tone of the old women softened slightly, though still hard and cold as stone. Finally the eldest strode forward and began to speak. Zelda nudged Antiada, giving her a pleading look that asked for a translation.

Antiada gave it to her in a trembling whisper. "It is you who insisted on stealing the Hylian magic, and like fools, we followed you. You knew we would never approve of the sentence that you brought down on our sister's head! You are not only a fool, but a liar as well. Your crime is so great that we mortals cannot pass judgment!"

Zelda could feel Antiada shaking beside her, and she realized she was digging her own fingernails into her palms. She watched the man kneeling on the floor, could see the slightest tremble break through his calm demeanor. Mortals cannot pass judgment? What did it mean? She had heard of Gerudo executions being referred to as "turning one over to the wrath of the Gods". Would Ganondorf really allow the Council to kill him for his crimes?

"Ganondorf of the Gerudo, your life is declared null and void. You are, as of now, a living ghost. If you wish to get your life back, you must appeal to the one whose life you stole. You must go to the Spirit Temple and beg forgiveness from the spirit of Nabooru! Go, and know that if you do not return, we will consider your punishment fulfilled by Nabooru's hands!"


	13. Chapter 13

"I accept the Council's challenge."

The preparations took no time at all. The women dispersed quickly and came back with food, his horse's tack, but not his armor or his sword. Zelda followed as he walked to the stables, paying no attention to her even though she was the only one that shadowed his steps. The rest of the Gerudo gathered in the throne room and milled about as before, but with darkened faces and somber expressions. Small children stayed close to their mothers and older siblings; the Council sat together quietly, awaiting the verdict.

He paid no attention to Zelda as he prepped his horse – not the demon creature of her nightmares, but a real flesh-and-blood war horse, with a coat as black and shiny as obsidian. But once he mounted he turned to her, as if he'd known she was there the entire time. "Lady Zelda, I would have a word with you."

She stepped out of the shadows. "And what would that be?"

He frowned down at her. "Did Antiada explain things to you?"

"She translated, and the meaning seemed clear enough," Zelda replied primly. "I…"

"Then you should go back to the throne room."

Zelda blinked. "What?"

The old look of impatience crossed his face, one she had seen many times but this time not darkened by malice. "Did you think the Council would see to Hylian matters in my absence? While I am gone, Hyrule is your responsibility."

She attempted to keep the smugness out of her voice. "And if you do not return?"

He turned away from her, looking back out toward the fields, and ultimately, the desert. "Then my people will go back to the Fortress. I can count on you having enough honor to keep your people from molesting them at least while you are alive, can I not?"

That answer startled her. "Then…you don't intend for them to stay in the castle? But what about…"

His head snapped back toward her. "Those Hylian ears of yours can hear more than your own petty talk, can't they?" His lips curled back in a sneer, though now it was less the self-satisfied smile and more the way a cornered dog bares his teeth. "The Council gave me ten days. Ten days to placate Nabooru's spirit, that is if I survive past her first angry assault. If I fail, it is as if I never existed. They never had a King in this age, there was no war for the Triforce, and the castle was never theirs to take. I should think they would be happy to abandon it; it is a reminder of false promises."

"But…you're not even wearing armor?"

He made a short bark of laughter. "Does my well-being concern you, Lady Zelda?" He didn't allow her to answer, merely continuing in the same bitter tone. "I must beg my blood sister's forgiveness, on bended knee. One does not carry protection or arms when they are pleading mercy for their lives."

Zelda couldn't think of a reply to this. Instead she asked, "What does that mean…'blood sister'?"

"One with whom a Gerudo shares a mother." His tone softened ever so slightly. "She was my elder sister, the only one who survived." He looked through her, far and away, momentarily taken back. Blinking, he fixed his gaze on Zelda. "I have little time. I am effectively giving you back your kingdom. Are there any more stupid questions?"

Her head spun, and she couldn't piece together her thoughts into anything cohesive. "No."

"Farewell, then." Without another word he nudged his horse forward, and took off at a clattering pace through the gates.

Zelda walked back to the throne room in a fog. She found the place nearly empty, completely devoid of Gerudo and populated by only a few of the other races that had been kicked out of the room for Ganondorf's confession. Their smiles lit up the room, and they bowed before her as she walked up the dais to the throne. A smattering of applause broke out as she sat down.

"Where is everyone?" she asked the nearest person to her.

The middle-aged Hylian woman bowed and smiled at her. "They left, Your Highness. Said something about a ceremony for one of the children." She did not seem inclined to speak any more about the subject.

With so few people in the room and the day already half gone, it did not take long for Zelda to get through whatever official business she had. She excused herself and went looking for the rest of the Gerudo, finding them in the parade grounds near the stables.

The group had gathered in a half-circle around one young girl, whom Zelda recognized as Ganondorf's eldest, a few years younger than Zelda herself. The girl sat on the grass with a stern expression, surrounded by small piles of silk, jewelry, and even a couple horses.

Finding Antiada, Zelda asked her, "Is she going to take her father's place at the head of the tribe?"

Antiada gave her an odd look, somewhere between shock and pity. "Ah, no, no, Lady Zelda. We don't have single female leaders, remember? This is merely her coming-of-age ceremony. She announced this morning that she'd had her first blood, and…" Her voice trailed away.

Zelda frowned. "I thought the coming-of-age ceremony was supposed to be a happy celebration. Why does she look so grim?"

Antiada looked away. "Oh…you see, she can't have children…"

"How would you know that if…well, you know…"

Turning toward her with tears in her eyes, Antiada said, "Oh, Lady Zelda, do you not remember? A bad seed cannot be sown. None of Gan…none of the tainted generation can be allowed to have children."

"But…" Zelda felt panic rise within her. "But he just left, he has ten days…"

"Don't you understand?" Antiada cried, setting off some of the smaller children around her. "He is gone. His blood sister will never forgive him, not for this. He will not return."

* * *

><p>Ganondorf rode quickly, his lack of armor making him a lighter load for his horse to carry. He cleared the fields in no time at all, crossed the newly rebuilt bridge, and found himself in the abandoned Fortress.<p>

He reined in his horse, and they stood still for a few moments in the twilight as the hot daily winds slowly calmed and moved aside for the cold evening breeze. He considered staying in the Fortress for the night, as the desert would be even more treacherous in the dark. The sandstorms of the Wastelands never ceased, and he would not be able to see the guide-poles in the moonless night.

In the end he decided against it. He had visited the Temple so many times, he could ride there with his eyes closed. Besides, the Fortress would become a home for the living once more soon, so it was no place for a ghost. With one last look, he nudged his horse forward once more, out of the open gate and into the desert.

He ended up staying in one of the bunkers, at the half-way point. The Poes and Keese that called this place home stayed away from him. He did not know if it was the fire that kept them away, or his Gerudo blood, or the fact that he had acted as their master for a time. He hoped it was not that last reason.

He watched the glowing embers of the charcoal his people kept stockpiled in the bunker. No wood in the desert, so they hoarded whatever they could find after raids and lightning strikes. The Gerudo possessed simple magic that they used for their guard-fires, but this bunker was built as a sanctuary for those who might have spent all their energy just getting there. He could have used his own magic, but its unique signature probably would have wakened even more dark creatures from their slumber.

He had been in this exact same place, years ago, during his manhood training. Apart from the time in the Proving Grounds that all Gerudo faced upon adulthood, he had tackled numerous other trials in order to make him a worthy King of the toughest, cleverest race in Hyrule.

Of course, Gerudo manhood training had nothing to test one's temptation in stealing forbidden Hylian magics.

He tried to tear his mind out of the past, to stay focused on the task at hand. This was his mess, so he had to fix it. It was an easier burden to bear on his shoulders if he packed it away as merely another form of duty. The failures, the massive wrong he had committed, the perilous position in which he had placed his tribe could be absolved with his blood.

But then again, despair was never far away. "Goddesses…why did it have to be this way?"

He tried to sleep, weary in both his mind and body. But he was being watched. The boy had been here, had taken shelter in this very place, on his way to liberate Nabooru. Some shred of his spirit still lingered, waiting with the endless patience of time for the sword to finally fall on the neck of the Dark Lord.

Ganondorf slept fitfully, his dreams filled with images he did not recognize. For the first time in many years he felt small, watching the world from outside, as if something much greater and more terrible than he were setting some strange new fate in motion.

* * *

><p>He awoke the next morning with new resolve. A question hung in the air, a question he could only barely perceive, let along ask. And yet he felt crushed by the weight of it. He bade his horse run with greater speed, his own face raw and blasted by the sand.<p>

And then, finally, he was on the other side. The Spirit Temple, Temple of the Sand Goddess, loomed large above him. He dismounted and led his horse to a small oasis, where it drank greedily of the fresh water. Removing the saddle, bridle, and the rest of the horse's tack, he threw it upon the ground. "There, now you are free. Do what you will."

The horse raised its head and stared at him, then went back to drinking the water. Ganondorf tried to stop himself from seeing signs in everything. It might be a smart horse, he reasoned, but it's still a dumb animal and ignorant of the ways of the Gods.

He entered the Spirit Temple before he could think too much about it and risk stalling his mission. He stood in the silent entryway, muscles tense, ears straining for any sound. Of course, nothing he could do would stop his fate this time, but that wouldn't stop simple instinct.

He climbed the stairs, realizing with a strange mix of shame and wonder that he felt nervous. When was the last time he had felt this way? As a very young child? He had grown up knowing he would be King of his people, knowing that all the other Kings before him had died by the blade. What purpose would nerves serve him?

And then he realized: He wanted his sister to forgive him. Not just for his people, but for him. He wanted Nabooru, Guardian of the Spirit Temple, to call him 'little brother' and assure him that her love was still as strong as the bond of blood.

An impossible dream.

"So much for regrets," he muttered in the silent room, the grumblings of his voice echoing ever so slightly. "Goddess of the Sands, I submit to thy will."

He opened the door, the one he had once sealed shut to keep his elder sister out, the door that had driven her to ask the boy for help and ultimately sealed her doom. As he stepped through, he immediately sensed the presence. White-hot spikes of anger, tearing anguish, a throat hoarse from screaming. The torture of a lost spirit.

The maddened fury of his betrayed sister.

He fell to his knees, bowed his head so low that it touched the cold stone floor. "Elder Sister, Blood Sister, I beg of you…"

"TRAITOR!" The word bounced off the walls and punched him in the chest. He had anticipated this, yes, but it still set him reeling. "TRAITOR TO OUR PEOPLE! TRAITOR TO OUR BLOOD!"

A shriek of agony rent the air. Ganondorf kept his head down as the crackling energy of the angry spirit made fierce winds blow as if in a thunderstorm. "LOOK AT ME, THY PRODIGAL SON OF THE GODDESS, FALLEN TO PETTY THIEF OF DEMONS!"

With some effort he raised his head, and flinched upon seeing her floating in the air above him. Her silks were torn, her body bloodied and battered, the entire right side of her face ripped open and hanging off her skull in ragged tatters. The few strands of hair that remained on her head had been burned, and blackened burns covered her feet.

The witch sisters had not done anything to her body, merely wishing it out of existence. No, this was worse, the torment of her spirit laid bare for him to see. He could feel himself trembling, and lowered his head again to the floor. "O elder sister…" His voice caught in his throat. What could he possibly beg of her? When he had reduced her to…this?

"IF THOU HAST A SINGLE WORD TO SAY IN THY FAVOR, THEN SPEAK!" the phantasm cried. Eyes burned with an amber light and a scimitar appeared in its hand, a weapon of Justice made of blood-red flame. "SPEAK BEFORE I STRIKE THEE WITH THE HAMMER OF THE GODDESS!"

He struggled to speak. "I have none," he choked out. "I beg of thee, to cleanse my spirit in this holy place."

"GODDESS OF THE SANDS, THY WILL BE DONE!" The apparition raised its hand, and the scimitar burst from ember-red to white-hot. Ganondorf tried to face her with what little grace he had left, and failed; he shut his eyes.

The sword tore through him, mind, body, and spirit. The flame burned him fiercer than lava, harder than lightning. Screams of torment echoed off the walls, enough to curl the ears and freeze the hearts of mortals.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. He felt as if he were being torn away from existence itself, then suddenly pulled back in. He heard a voice calling him, slowly fading away…

"Ganondorf! Ganondorf! Little brother, can you hear me?"


	14. Chapter 14

Zelda awoke with a start, staring around in confusion as her eyes saw light in the middle of the night. She turned to the source, a fire in the hearth, and saw Antiada's familiar figure beside it. "Ah, Lady Zelda, are you all right?"

Settling back into bed, Zelda replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Just a…nightmare…" She spoke the last word with uncertainty, having no memory of what started her out of sleep. It was more of a night terror, some nameless fear that brushed her consciousness and demanded her attention.

She turned to the side, surprised to find Iso and Mara sleeping on a pallet nearby. Antiada's children had never spent much time in her room, and had certainly never slept there. Not that Zelda minded. "Did they have nightmares too?" she asked, knowing that there was probably little chance a Gerudo mother would bundle up her children and shelter them over something so trivial.

"No, no…" Antiada dipped a long, thin roll of cloth into the hot water over the fire, and Zelda noticed a faint medicinal scent. "They just got in a fight with some of the other children. Oh, don't worry," she said as Zelda's head snapped back toward the sleeping children. "This is part of growing up for a Gerudo. You should go back to sleep, Lady Zelda. There will be much for you to do tomorrow morning."

There was something in Antiada's tone that Zelda didn't like. She watched as Antiada wrapped one of the bandages around Iso's deeply bruised arm. Mara already had a bandage wrapped around her head. Zelda could not keep her thoughts to herself. "What happened?" she asked softly.

Antiada's head jerked up, but she immediately turned back to what she was doing. "It is nothing, Lady Zelda. It may seem harsh to you, but this is normal for us…"

Zelda pulled off the blankets and got out of bed, walking toward the two children on the pallet. Iso made a muffled moan as her mother tied the bandage. Both children had bruises all over their bodies, and she thought she could see teeth marks on Mara's shoulder. Zelda straightened. "Antiada. I think you should tell me what really happened."

Hesitating for a moment, Antiada said defensively, "They were merely defending their mother's honor. They took it too far, of course, so I had to separate them from the tribe…"

"What do you mean, defending your honor?"

"Oh…well…everyone is angry with…you know…and even though his transgression happened before I became his advisor on Hylian matters…some of the children claimed I must have done something to…to pull him away from the path of the King. And so they defended me, as any Gerudo would…"

Zelda walked over to Antiada, put her hand on her shoulder. "Nabooru's death isn't your fault," Zelda told her.

Antiada sighed. "Of course it isn't," she said bitterly. "This is just the way of things…he has dishonored the tribe, so those closest to him are under suspicion. His daughter's coming-of-age ceremony was a poor one…the firstborn child of a King should have seen a full day's celebration, with food and games. But since she must keep her womb empty…" She paused. "I'm sure she can make herself useful to the tribe in other ways. She is skilled with a bow, and has been a successful hunter…"

Zelda sat on the cold stone floor beside her. "Is that what gives a Gerudo status? Their usefulness to the tribe?"

"Oh, but of course." Antiada accented her statement with several nods. "The greatest fighters, hunters, those who can speak to the spirits and seduce men…they have the greatest respect in our tribe."

"I always thought that all Gerudo could do that."

"Certainly, to a point. But of course some are better than others." Here Antiada grew quiet. "I was never a good fighter, I couldn't sense the spirits, but men could sense my hesitation. So I mostly guarded intruders whom had already been subdued." She raised her head to look at Zelda. "But then, when the King needed help with you, and Hylians in general, I found I had knowledge he could use. He was…troubled by your dismay. You had fought well, and were left with nothing. We respect bravery and a strong will…he could not just let you wander the halls alone…"

Zelda sat stunned, trying to determine if what Antiada said was true, or if she was merely attributing qualities to her King, regardless of his disgrace.

Antiada tried hard to smile. "It's not all bad, is it? He granted you your country. You will speak in our favor after we return to the Fortress, won't you?"

"Antiada." Zelda looked at the children sleeping on the pallet, then at her. "He has only been gone a day…do you really think he will not return?"

Tears formed in the young mother's eyes. "Oh Lady Zelda…we all knew something was wrong, in those seven long years he left us to rule over that dark castle. We just didn't want to admit it…even to ourselves."

* * *

><p>"Little brother! Little brother!"<p>

Ganondorf slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the ceiling of the Spirit Temple. He felt strange, naked, as if he had left something behind. He blinked once, and a face appeared over his own. "You're awake!"

It was Nabooru. Her head was nearly obscured by bandages wrapped all around, leaving only one eye visible. But he recognized her. "Elder Sister?" His voice sounded high and reedy, and it made him flinch in surprise. "What happened?"

"I have to admit I'm not really sure." Nabooru stood and he could see more bandages all over her body. Her spiritual wounds no longer tormented her, but they had not healed either. "I struck you with the Hammer of the Goddess, and then you…leaked."

"What?" Nabooru's odd pronouncement and his funny voice began to irritate him. With a great effort he stood, then nearly fell over again, stunned at the sight of his own body lying on the ground just a few feet away. "I'm…I'm a spirit?"

"That's not all," Nabooru said, and he could sense a hint of the old mischief in her voice. He saw her pick up a shield he recognized as the one the boy had found, the mirrored shield he had used to defeat the twin witches.

"How are you carrying that, if you're a spirit too?" he demanded.

Nabooru grinned. "In the Temple, spirits have much more power. We can even obtain a corporeal form." She plunked the shield down in front of him. "Now, look at yourself."

He peered into the mirror, then suddenly recoiled. "What sorcery is this?"

Staring back at him in the mirror was the face of a young Gerudo boy, maybe a few years short of the rite of manhood. Bright, wild eyes, where his own had narrowed in suspicion and dulled with greed. Light clothing in place of armor. A shock of scarlet hair that sprung up from where his own had already started to recede.

"I don't know," said Nabooru, her voice curious where his was angry and fearful. "I struck you, and it was as if…part of you disappeared, leaving this."

"How could you not know?" Ganondorf demanded, his childish voice erasing any threat from his words. "You are the Sage of Spirit! The guardian of the Temple!"

"Even I do not know what caused this." A third, unfamiliar voice spoke, filling the whole chamber without shouting. Both Nabooru and Ganondorf turned in surprise. A tall figure stood there, a woman with the same fiery hair and tanned skin of the Gerudo.

But that was where the similarities ended. Her chest was bare, her body covered in golden and jeweled adornments. Where her legs should have been, there was only a long, scaly tail, that not only reached the floor but curled for several feet behind her.

"Goddess of the Sands." Both Nabooru and Ganondorf fell to their knees.

The Goddess moved over to Ganondorf's side, touching his shoulder ever so softly. He could feel great power there, but also a motherly sense of protection. "This curse that afflicts you is the design of the Hylian Goddesses. As a deity not tied to this land, there is nothing I can do to fix it."

Nabooru lifted her head cautiously. "So…it is true…that the Gerudo came from beyond the Wastelands?"

The Goddess nodded. "If you wish to lift this curse, you must appeal to the Three. I can guide you in the right direction, but the path you take from there is up to you."

Bowing lower, Ganondorf asked, "O Goddess of the Sands, will you take Nabooru home, and heal her?"

"I cannot. Only you can undo the damage you have done. The penance you must pay is up to your Elder Sister."

Ganondorf felt Nabooru's arms encircle him. "The curse that brought you to inflict these wounds has loosened its hold on me. But, Little Brother, I must confess that I still cannot forgive you. My scars will not heal unless I do."

He turned in her arms, looking up into her eyes. "Then name it, Elder Sister! I will fulfill whatever command you give!"

He knew the instant he saw the mischievous – bordering on malicious – gleam in her eye that he was in trouble. She let him go and stood. "Very well, Little Brother. Go to your body and unbuckle the belt."

Wondering what she could possibly want with his soul-less body, he did as ordered. "Now what?" he asked, expecting her to insist he take off the shoes next. Did she intend to humiliate him by throwing his naked body into the desert? Surely she didn't want to damage it, if she hoped for him to return to the mortal world?

"Bring the belt over here and give it to me." He complied, waiting for further orders. Her face split in a wide grin under the bandages and she patted her knee. "Now bend over, little brother."

It took a moment for her intentions to sink in. "WHAT?" he shouted in a comically high pitch.

"I've always thought that the elders were too soft on you," she said with what was definitely a malicious air. "I think that if you'd been given a good hiding, none of this would have happened."

"I was punished along with the other Gerudo children!" Ganondorf insisted. "The Elders granted me no special favors!"

"Yes, but as someone who would take on great power, you had to be taught great responsibility. And, along with that, the consequences of what would happen if you failed. Quite frankly, I have to say that they failed in their job." She patted her knee again. "Well?"

"How…how DARE you! The INSOLENCE! How could you even CONCEIVE of such a…this LUDICROUS punishment…!" His young boy's voice did him no favors as he did his best to sputter out his indignity.

Nabooru sat calmly, the Goddess of the Sands waiting behind her. "You said you'd do whatever I asked, little brother. And really…compared to what I went through, is it so bad?"

Ganondorf frowned, all the fight leaving him as he looked into his sister's one visible eye. The wounds were still there – the burned feet, the savaged face. They just didn't hurt her anymore. He had done this to her, and she had suffered for years. Surely he could endure a little pain and shame to give her spirit peace. "You'd better not tell anyone about this," he grumbled.

Nabooru laughed. "Who am I going to tell?" She cracked the belt like a whip, testing it. "Now get comfortable, because you're going to be here for a while."

* * *

><p>Ganondorf tried not to touch his smarting backside, not wanting to call any further attention to what his sister had done. He was alone with The Goddess of the Sands, taking a winding path through parts of the Spirit Temple he had never seen.<p>

They entered through large double doors, and Ganondorf stopped short. Before them he could see a huge arena, open to the stars above. No one sat in the seats around the perimeter, but a strange echo of angry jeers seemed to hang in the air. "What is this place?" he asked in a small voice.

"A Sphere of Time," said the Goddess. "A reflection of things that may come to be, or may not, depending on the actions of mortals." She nodded toward the middle of the arena, where a huge stone slab stood. "There, my son."

Standing in front of the stone were three figures. He recognized them immediately. One with the muscled body of the strongest female Gerudo, her hair made of flame; one in a blue dress that seemed to shimmer and shape-shift like water, her face watching sternly through cold blue eyes; and one that smiled gently, garbed in a robe of green leaves and soft moss. Ganondorf turned to ask his own Goddess a question, but she had disappeared.

Din stepped forward. "Come, Bearer of Power. We have for you the answers you seek."

He took a deep breath, feeling his entire spirit tremble. As he approached, he flinched at the benign, motherly aura wrapped around Farore. "Great Goddess…are you not angry with me for the death of your Chosen One?"

Farore shook her head, and Nayru spoke. "You are connected to things far beyond your imagining, mortal. For many years, someone else has been guiding your steps."

"What do you mean?" Ganondorf demanded. "Someone has been…controlling me?"

Din stepped over to him. "Child of the Sand Goddess, you have taken on that form because the curse which afflicts you took hold during that period of your life."

"So you didn't place this curse on me?" Ganondorf asked, incredulous.

Nayru frowned at him. "If you knew anything at all of us, mortal, you would not ask such questions." She softened slightly. "But we created this world knowing you would not be able to perceive us, so I will say nothing further."

"Then who did this to me?" Ganondorf demanded.

"Think back to when you were this age," Farore told him. "What happened?"

He thought for a moment. "There was a raid on our fortress by the Hylian soldiers. It was night. I had been sitting on the side closest to the desert, waiting for Nabooru to return from the Spirit Temple…"

* * *

><p>The alarm cry traveled over the bluffs, like a flock of crows chasing a hawk. Ganondorf stood and turned toward the gate that led to Hyrule. He could see little in the dark, but the yells sounded much angrier than usual. A feeling of dread crept into his stomach, and he clambered back up the bluff to the trail leading back to the Fortress.<p>

As he ran, he could hear one alarm after another, increasing in intensity. One level, two levels, three levels…more and more Gerudo raced to the gate, the ones on horseback kicking up clouds of dust in the canyon below. Ganondorf pulled his own small scimitar from his belt as the cries for help became more frequent and desperate.

"My Prince!" As he shot by the first of the dwellings on the desert side, he felt hands clawing at him. "My Prince, come back and take shelter!"

"No!" Trepidation and dismay swept over him; something terrible was going to happen, something in the air made him sense a greater danger than usual. He sidestepped another woman who was gathering children to shelter in the caves. "I'm going to fight!"

"It's not time yet!" The Gerudo chased him through the Fortress, knocking over others in their panic. "Wait, My Prince, it's too soon for you to fight! It's too dangerous!"

Ganondorf clambered out of one of the windows, steadying himself on the preserved wooden frame of the adobe house. He pulled himself onto the roof, then jumped over to the next one. He left behind the women inside the Fortress and instead rushed towards those defending the perimeter. Already he could see members of his tribe with horrible wounds inflicted by the Hylians' blades, being led to the relative safety of the Fortress. His already hot blood began to boil as he saw some of them had their chest wraps ripped off.

Shouts of men and the clash of metal rang in his ears. His own people tried to drag him back, but he sidestepped them and ran into the thick of the fighting. He struck at the legs of the Hylian knights, trying to trip them, giving his warriors a moment to strike when the knights stared down at him in surprise.

But he could not fight for long. "Go back, My Prince!" one after the other shouted, standing between him and his enemy, shoving him back toward the Fortress. "Go back!"

Then it happened. One of the knights grabbed him from behind, held the struggling prince's arms behind him. "Well, look what we've got here!" the knight exclaimed. "Looks like it's our lucky day, isn't it, boys?"

The rest of the Gerudo pressed forward to rescue their Prince; Ganondorf saw Hylian spears run two of them through. "Stop! Stop!"

"Yeah, listen to your little spawn!" The commander of the knights stepped forward, striking a Gerudo woman across the head as he approached the Prince. "You cockroaches are enough trouble without a King. We're going to put an end to this right now!" He pulled a dagger from his belt and pressed it to the boy's throat.

The knights jeered as the women fought to reach him, several falling from mortal wounds as they desperately tried to snatch him out of the way. "What's the matter, boy?" the commander said with a laugh as tears sprang to his eyes. "You should be proud to have so many people willing to die for you!"

Coarse laughter erupted around the men as one of them grabbed a wounded woman and tore off her clothing. Her cries of indignity echoed in Ganondorf's ears as she struggled to defend herself. He lurched forward, but the knife cut into his throat, leaving a little trickle of blood. "Time to end this," said the commander, and Ganondorf felt his hand clench around the knife.

It never occurred to him to do anything other than what he did. He spoke the forbidden words the two witches had taught him, the witches he had been forbidden to visit. "I call upon the Spirits of Darkness!"

Blackness, pure blackness enveloped him, and for a brief moment he went limp in the commander's hands.

* * *

><p><em>He was huge, bigger than anything Ganondorf had ever imagined. He could see nothing, but sensed that the Other was there, a vast power that threatened to swallow Ganondorf's tiny soul whole.<em>

_ "Give me your body," spoke a commanding voice, all-encompassing and devoid of all feeling. "Give me your body, and I will give you my power."_

_ "Take it!" Ganondorf insisted, throwing his arms wide. There was a rush of wind, and he felt himself shrinking, growing smaller and smaller, consumed by something much greater than he…_

* * *

><p>"Eh?" the commander said, looking down at the boy in his hands. Suddenly Ganondorf's head jerked up, eyes blazing. He snatched the dagger by the blade, wrenching it out of the commander's hands.<p>

"What?" the commander said, the last word he spoke before Ganondorf's scimitar separated his head from his shoulders.

A guttural scream echoed through the air, and both Gerudo and Hylian watched in terror as the boy sliced his sword through the air, blood dripping from his sliced palm. One man's neck broke as the Prince kicked the side of his face, nearly spinning his head in a circle. Another unfortunate stared up into maddened yellow eyes as the Prince's blade split his helm and then his head.

The Gerudo rallied, throwing out the Hylian knights in a rout. The men fled from their blades, some of them falling to their deaths from the cliff in their attempts to escape. Cheering as the remainder fled on foot or on horseback, they came back to find their Prince slicing apart the bodies of their dead foes.

* * *

><p>Ganondorf fell to the ground, gasping for air. "What…what was that…thing?" He struggled to catch his breath, Nabooru's words echoing in his mind. "Was it…did it stay within me…all that time?"<p>

"It lived within you, yes." Nayru frowned down at him. "It may not have had control of you all of the time, but it certainly moved you to do things you would not have otherwise."

"But what…is it?"

"The name we gave him ages ago is no longer relevant," said Farore, her gentle face turning sad. "You and other mortals only know him as Hyrule's Demise."


	15. Chapter 15

"Lady Zelda!"

Zelda shut her eyes and sighed, willing herself not to pretend she hadn't heard the voice call her name. She turned, forced a smile. "Hello, Andrew."

"Milady. Have you forgotten? Lunch is ready in the courtyard."

"Ah, forgive me. My mind has wandered much as of late, given recent events."

"Yes, I must admit I never thought the Gerudo King would be of use to us," said Andrew with a wide grin as he offered the crook of his arm to Zelda. She took it mechanically, surrendering once again to the fact that she had been caught. As always. "But a malevolent spirit in one of Hyrule's Temples! That's not something just anyone can handle."

It took awhile for Zelda to find an appropriate response. The official story was that Ganondorf would return after taking care of what, for the Dark Lord or King of Evil, should have been a simple task. Zelda knew that if she voiced any doubt, the Hylian nobles would be jockeying for position even more than they were now. At least the rest of the Gerudo could be counted on not to breathe a word of it to anyone. "The King has many talents that are suitable for a peacetime nation."

Andrew dropped his voice to a low, almost inaudible note. "Ah, but Lady Zelda…the Gerudo seem restless, as if they prefer to return to the desert. Perhaps the Gerudo King will tire of his place on the Hylian throne and go back to raiding in the desert."

Zelda smiled slightly. "My, such hard times we have seen, for Gerudo raiders to be something we hope for."

"Better in the desert than on the throne."

"Andrew, my friend." Zelda dropped her voice just as low. "You forget…such words are still treason in this land."

He gave her an impish smile. "Ah, but my Lady would never tell, would she?"

Zelda tamped down the urge to cry, "Yes!" "Of course not," she told him with another wooden smile. He laughed, and she joined in as well as she could.

They rounded the courtyard, and Zelda stopped in her tracks. A large table had been set up, covered with linen and vases of freshly cut flowers, and around it sat Damien and several more young nobles. All of them, she noticed, had fathers or grandfathers accompanying them.

Damien sprang from his seat. "Come, milady! The hour is late and the food will grow cold." He pulled back a chair at the head of the table and both he and Andrew helped her in. Zelda fiddled with her napkin as one of the grandfathers poured her some watery wine.

"Forgive me for the poor quality, Milady," said the old grandfather, whose long beard threatened to dip into the cup. "We could only scavenge some small dregs. It is very difficult to steal from thieves."

Hard-edged laughter rumbled around the table. Zelda unconsciously gripped her chair's arms, her instincts battling her etiquette. "Try the cucco, it's delicious," one of the fathers said as they offered her a plate. She took a drumstick, set it on her plate, but didn't touch it.

"Milady," said Andrew's father, saluting her with a glass of wine. "It's been more than seven years of pain and fear, but I think now we can finally look to the future. We can finally make plans to bring Hyrule back to the prosperous country it was."

Zelda smiled thinly. "I see you have made some plans in my absence."

One of the men rose and bowed. She recognized him as the head of the scribes, years back. "Milady, within you flows the blood of the Goddess. In us, too, are fragments of the royal lineage that branches downward from our illustrious ancestors in the sky."

Another stood, gave her another bow. The others watched with anticipation, and the image of them bobbing up and down in Zelda's mind would have made her laugh, were it at any other time. "The Gerudo King sits on the throne now, and so it may be for a year, or a hundred years. But it will be ours once again, and we must prepare for that day of deliverance."

Now Damien stood. "Milady, we may not see it in our lifetime, but we must secure our future for our children. Please milady…we will not argue among ourselves. Choose one of us, whomever you believe is the most deserving, to enable you to bear a child that will continue to carry the Goddess's blood through the royal family."

Zelda bolted to a standing position, rattling the table. Another one of the grandfathers placed a soft, wizened hand on her shoulder. "Milady, you don't need to decide at this moment. Give it a few days." He gently but firmly pressed her back down into the chair, and she could feel her breath coming quickly, her chest tightening.

She swallowed hard. "I need some time."

"You will have plenty of time. Now is time for us to eat!" Andrew proclaimed, raising his wine glass. The other men followed suit, then fell upon the food. None of them seemed to notice the lonely leg of cucco sitting on Zelda's plate.

Zelda's mind raced. What would they do when it became clear that Ganondorf would not return? There would be a scramble for the throne, and the only reason they wouldn't shove her aside was the supposedly holy blood in her veins. What miracles were they expecting? How long would it take them to notice that her own lineage was no nearer to the Goddesses than that of anyone else at the table? Even if she had a divine ancestor, would a Hyrule unable to rise from the ashes be a precedent for a coup?

"Milady, are you feeling well?" One of the men had finally noticed that she hadn't eaten anything.

She forced herself to pay attention. "Ah, forgive me. I was merely waiting to ask for some sauce…"

"A princess should not wait!" said one of the grandfathers, and her pulse quickened at the forbidden title. They pressed upon her not only sauce but fruit, bread, sweets. "I know it is a poor offering, but think of the feasts we will share when things are set right once again."

Forcing food in her mouth and down her throat, Zelda found her mind fixing on Ganondorf once more. With a horrible shock she realized that she wanted him here. But why? Simply to silence the plots of a few scatterbrained nobles? Was an ill-planned coup something that she could not handle herself? Why not simply take the most foolish of the little cabal, and let him rule not knowing he was a mere figurehead?

Zelda nearly gagged. For some reason the thought made her ill. She did not want to spend the rest of her life waking up beside one of these men. Idiot, she chastised herself. Link has been dead for months now. Both Impa and Nabooru have made their spirits heard. If he had wanted to return from the spirit world, you would have heard from him by now. His life ended when he failed in his mission, too trusting and honest to attempt to wrest a second chance from the cold hand of Death.

Her mind wandered to Ganondorf again, who had managed to get the country working almost in spite of himself. Of course, most of it came due to the fact that he actually listened to her. But what kind of thought was that? Did she believe that none of the men here would take her seriously? How could she possibly think that the man who had destroyed her country could rebuild it?

"Damn it all!" Zelda's fist slammed down on the table, and a rush of silence met her ears. She glanced up to see the entire table staring at her, some with their mouths hanging open.

"Milady," Damien offered delicately. "I know it is a difficult situation, but there is no need for such language from a lady…"

Suddenly Zelda's blood boiled. They didn't know about the seven years she had spent as a Shekiah, seven years defending herself from monsters, waiting for the Hero, and then finally guiding his hand when he finally arrived. They all thought she had been hiding in some safe haven, waiting patiently for someone to magically appear and rescue her along with her country.

"Lady? You don't understand, do you?" Her voice bit into the air, the men flinching from its touch. "I'm not a lady. I never was a lady. I'm a bastard…do you hear me? A BASTARD!"

In the stunned silence, Zelda leaped from her chair, knocking it to the ground, and fled from the courtyard.

* * *

><p>"I don't understand," Ganondorf said at last. "This 'Hyrule's Demise'…he is one of your creations, is he not? Why do you not simply rub him out of existence?"<p>

Nayru made an exasperated sigh, but Din shushed her. "In any world, it is important to keep a balance, between Light and Dark, Life and Death," she explained. "You cannot simply have one or the other. If we were to disappear, then so would his twin, the mother of the Hylians."

"Why do you grant so much to the Hylians?" Ganondorf demanded. "Are you going to tell me that their hateful words are true, that they are the chosen race of the Goddesses and my people mere interlopers?"

"You forget, Child of the Sands, that much of our minds are closed to mortals," Farore said gently. "We favor none over another, not even the ones we created over our adopted children. But we cannot simply erase an entire people from existence. Demise is a single entity; Hylia long ago surrendered her immortality to scatter her spirit among her people."

Ganondorf fell silent for a while. Finally he said, "I care only for my own people, but it seems clear that to rescue one means to rescue all. What do you expect me to do about it?"

"You must sever the connection between yourself and Demise," said Nayru. "But I warn you, he will not give you up easily."

"His spirit, too, is so greatly weakened that he must inhabit the body of a mortal to appear in the waking world," Din explained. "His monsters and demons are much weaker and more scattered when he himself is not there to guide them."

Din opened her hands, and between them there appeared a scimitar of gold. "Defeat him in battle, Child of the Sands, and he will be subdued at least for your lifetime. Not very long in the annals of the Gods, but at least enough time for the worst of Hyrule's scars to heal."

Ganondorf reverently plucked the scimitar from Din's hands, and kneeled before the Three. "Indeed, I would be more than willing to drive him out of my existence, even if it benefited no one else." He stood, and asked, "Where is he, so that I may finish this trial and be done with it?"

Nayru gestured toward the door from which he had entered, and as it opened, he noticed that its doorway looked out upon somewhere else entirely. "Demise waits in the remains of the land where he was sealed, in a shadow world parallel to your own. Go now, Child of the Sands, and the best of luck to you."

* * *

><p>"Shekiah! Shekiah! Goddesses preserve us, a Shekiah!" Antiada whirled round in Zelda's doorway and fled down the hall.<p>

Zelda sprinted to Antiada's side and grabbed her wrist. Antiada paused in her flight to give Zelda a good solid punch in the face. Reeling, Zelda shouted after her, "Dammit Antiada, it's me!"

The Gerudo woman stopped upon hearing the familiar voice, but kept her hands raised in defense. "Lady Zelda? Why would you wear that? Why would you put on the garb of the Shadow Walkers among our people? You surrendered…what need is there for you to play the role of Sheik?"

"It's my own people that are the problem this time. They know I'm illegitimate. If I don't do something soon, they'll end up fighting among themselves, and Ganondorf isn't here to scare them into submission." She put her hand to her face, where an angry welt already began to throb.

Antiada's brows knitted in confusion, but she lowered her fists. "Illegitimate? What does that mean?"

Zelda motioned for Antiada to follow her back into her room. "It means that the queen was my mother, but the king wasn't really my father. My mother had me with someone else."

"What difference does that make?" Antiada sat down in one of the chairs, the confused look still on her face.

"To Hylians, it means a lot. Look, Antiada…the fortnight is almost over and Ganondorf isn't back yet. I have to find out what happened to him."

Antiada frowned at her. "If he has not returned, that merely means that he was not a worthy King. Why not let us help you, Milady? He is not the only one who could scare the cowardly into submission."

Zelda stopped packing for a moment, and Antiada took note of the supplies spread out on the bed: Shekiah knife, bow and arrows, red potion. "I'm sorry, Antiada, I can't give you a real answer yet. All I have is this feeling…but my instincts are pretty good. They told me something bad would happen when Ganondorf started appearing at the castle gates; now they're telling me something will go wrong if he doesn't come back."

She sat down next to Antiada. "There's something going on that is bigger than any of us, something connected to the Goddesses themselves…I can feel it. But I don't know what it is. All I know is that somehow Ganondorf is wrapped up in the middle of it…and I find him, I'll find the answers to a lot of my questions."

Antiada frowned down into the fire. "What you say makes no sense," she said slowly into the fire. "Lady Zelda, you promised that you would help protect us. Without you here, the Hylians will drive us from the castle…"

"The fortnight is almost over, and you were going to go back to the desert anyway. If I don't find out what is going on, it won't just be our races that are in trouble, but all of Hyrule." Zelda pulled Antiada toward her, her eyes pleading. "Antiada, please…you must believe me. There is so much at stake, and so little time."

Antiada pulled away from her. "I will gather the others, and we will return to the desert," she said slowly. "But I will not believe you…not yet."

She turned and left without another word.

* * *

><p>The castle buzzed with rumors. The princess, not the King's daughter? Where had her true father come from? Was that why they had lost the Seven-Year War?<p>

Zelda moved noiselessly through the shadows as everyone from courtiers to scullery-maids whispered gossip and made countless conjectures. The boy knight, was he a lost prince, stolen from the queen and prevented from seizing his birthright? The Lady Zelda had been too quick to accept the man who had tormented them for so long. She must be in league with him! She had been plotting to steal the throne the entire time with the Demon King at her side!

Find her! Interrogate her! Kill her!

It made no difference that they had seen no sign of a prince, that Zelda's birth as a girl had tormented her father, that she had been seen begging her father not to speak to the man with the evil eyes. Those few that remembered had seen their country turned upside down, and who now could tell what was truly a memory, or just a dream? The Evil One was gone and Zelda herself was missing. Now was the time for action!

Zelda retrieved her horse from the stables, noticing that many of the Gerudo steeds had already been retrieved by their masters. She slung her small pack across its back, then leaped into the saddle. Taking back roads and alleys, she wound her way around the castle town and out the gate. Urging her horse faster, she sped across the fields, toward the desert, just as the moon rose high into the sky.


	16. Chapter 16

She could not remember it ever being so quiet.

No sound but the pounding of hooves and her horse's own breath. No breeze whispered through the tall grass, no cry of owls. And certainly nothing close to background roar of roaming monsters, the ground trembling with an undercurrent of malice, as she spent seven long years in exile.

Along with Impa, she rode these fields, fought on them, nursed wounds from tooth or claw from some fell creature as she attempted to sleep on the cold hard ground. She slept uneasily, next to a creature in deep hibernation, fearful that one wrong move would awaken it and send its slithering tendrils straight into her heart.

She had almost grown used to it. Almost.

Hyrule was at peace, for now. It had been this way once before, after the Fierce War had finally ended. But it had not taken long for her sleep, since birth awakened by the cries of the guards, to be disturbed by nightmares of the man from the desert.

And where was he now?

Zelda raced past the Gerudo Fortress, its watch-fires cold, its gates wide open. She half expected to hear the whistle of an arrow in the still night, unable to imagine this place ever empty and unguarded. The desert had not yet begun to crawl forward and claim it, but she could see small hills, like ever-expanding waves, reaching up to lick the sides of the adobe walls.

And the Wasteland.

The ghouls and ghosts that called this place home shrank back as she rode near, protected by the meaning of the symbol on her chest. The moaning undead, the tormented sprits, were nothing to one who had learned the Shekiah arts in the Temple of Death. Zelda held both Light and Shadow in her hands, and it was these things that had enabled her to keep a hold – however tenuous – on her country.

Finally, her lathered horse stumbled up to the entrance to the Spirit Temple. The Goddess of the Sands watched the folding and unfolding of the sands without care. A Leever emerged at Zelda's feet, but with one quick swipe of her knife she sent it back to where it had come.

Her horse nickered softly, as if greeting a fellow. Zelda turned in surprise to see a horse without bridle or saddle make its way toward them, its black coat contrasted against the glow before sunrise behind it. Ganondorf's horse.

It looked reasonably healthy, despite having been out here for two weeks. Zelda could see a clear spring and some short-cropped grass in the direction from where it had come. It sniffed at her horse and then turned toward her with a baleful look. The tales said that the Gerudo could speak to their horses, could understand them as well as another Gerudo. But this one required no translation, a faithful steed without its master.

She patted its nose. "That's why I'm here."

* * *

><p>The doors dwarfed him, would have dwarfed him even if he stood at his full height. The soul of the Gerudo King stared up at it with narrowed amber eyes, recognizing layers upon layers of Shekiah magic woven within them – along with a thick core whose origin he could not ascertain. His amber eyes narrowed, and he stood for a moment with hands clenched. Then he opened the doors and stepped inside.<p>

Before him lay the strangest of sights. A mammoth hole dug down in a corkscrew fashion, the earth completely devoid of life. Not a blade of grass, not a single ant, not even the rock-cactus of his homeland that took a year to grow even the width of a hair.

And that not even the strangest thing. Above him he saw neither sky nor clouds, not stars or moon. A great dark purplish mass undulated far above, covering the giant hole and the doorway behind him. He did not recognize the source of the magic, but it was clearly an imprisoning spell. In a heartbeat he wondered if he had walked into a trap made by the goddesses; in the next heartbeat he pushed the thought away with a combination of shame and fear. This prison had been created to hold something far more horrible than he.

He took a breath, about to issue a challenge, his name and rank. The words died in his mouth. The unholy power that writhed in this place had a suffocating effect, dimming the sound of his footsteps on the ground. He walked slowly down to the source of the power, at the very bottom of the twisted hole. Din's scimitar shone slightly brighter as he reached the bottom.

"Well?" he said at last, when no one appeared. "Hyrule's Demise, he who dares steal the body of the Gerudo King…show yourself!"

Harsh laughter echoed throughout the makeshift room. The shadows cast by his scimitar seemed to come together and coalesce, as if the thing he faced were made of Darkness itself. A flash of red as a flame licked the air and grew, and from its unholy light came the shape of a man. Scaly skin like a snake's, eyes like dying stars, and a strange white cross at its forehead where a Gerudo would normally have a jewel. "Boy. Do you always address your elders and betters thus?"

Ganondorf's face turned down in a scowl, though he knew it would not look very threatening. "If you are what the Golden Three say you are, then you can tell that I am no mere boy."

"Hah!" The man grinned wide, sharp teeth that pointed down, up, down, perfect in shape and in whiteness. "You are a boy to me. I have existed for long before your people ever came to Hyrule, long before even the Lady settled here."

Ganondorf raised the scimitar. "It matters not. I am here to take my body back."

Demise's expression didn't change. He smiled down at Ganondorf with the air of one cradling a bombshell. "Fancy yourself a master of the Darkness, eh, boy? Perhaps with the knowledge given to you from your grandmothers?" He leaned down and breathed into Ganondorf's face, breath reeking of rotted flesh and brimstone. "Who do you suppose sent them to you?"

Ganondorf's eyes widened, but he stood his ground. The earth beneath their feet shook with Demise's mirth. "Oh, yes! Hylia's chosen warrior killed my first servant, so I had to create another one. Or two, rather. Koume and Kotake, Twinrova in her true form. For four hundred years she roamed Hyrule, looking for the one that would serve as my vessel. A young prince, angered by the death of his people at the hands of those who lived in luxury and looked down on those they saw as outsiders." His smile grew still more twisted, mocking. "Such easy fools have existed since the beginning of time. You took the bait like a mouse upon cheese."

Quick as lightning, Ganondorf slashed at the sneering face. Demise curled out of his reach like smoke and appeared behind him. "You'll have to be faster than that, boy. The one who sealed me here was much greater than his pitiful descendant that met his end at your blade. "

Gritting his teeth, Ganondorf spun to face him and gripped his sword. "I am no man's toy, be he god or mortal. Destroy my soul if you must, but I will tolerate no more of your idle talk!"

"As you wish," Demise replied with little emotion. "I warn you, though, I have more power in one hand than you have in your whole body. Allow me to demonstrate," he said as he raised his fist.

It hit Ganondorf's skull like thunder incarnate.

* * *

><p>Zelda stood over the still, prone form of Ganondorf's body. It was still warm, and he was still breathing. He seemed merely to be in a very deep sleep. And yet…<p>

She could sense a terrifying darkness, so deep she could not see where it ended. It came not from Ganondorf's body but elsewhere, hidden somewhere inside the temple. Or rather, a path to it was somewhere inside the temple. So far away, and yet she could feel its power, very different from the one she had been forced to live alongside for seven years. And yet strangely familiar.

"Zelda."

She spun around at the sound of the voice, gripped her Shekiah knife in her hand. Before her stood the ghost of a woman, barely visible as most of her had already departed for the next world. Nabooru stared at Zelda with beseeching eyes. "Zelda, please…help my little brother."

"What's wrong with him?" Zelda asked as she sheathed her knife.

"Only his shell lies at your feet," Nabooru informed her. "His spirit was summoned by the Goddess of the Sands, to speak with the Golden Three."

Zelda's eyes widened. "For judgment?"

"No." Uncertainty crossed Nabooru's nearly transparent face. "It is difficult to explain. I cannot see it or hear it, but I can feel it. Something about chains…chains binding him to the Darkness." She paused. "My time is short, and I cannot help him. Please, Zelda, Princess and Seventh Sage of Hyrule…I know he has tormented your people, but there is something missing in the story that neither you nor I know."

"Did he repay his debt to you?"

Nabooru smiled slightly. "Indeed. Now I can cross to the other world in peace."

Zelda nodded. "Then that's all the reason I need."

The Gerudo Sage faded until only her voice remained, speaking from far away. "Thank you, and farewell."

* * *

><p>Ganondorf struggled to rise, certain that after the second or third attempt he had managed to at least brought his head off the ground, yet he could still feel the hard earth on the side of his face. Demise had long before disarmed him, Din's scimitar lying useless on the other side of that forsaken hole. The fact that he was about to die here, in both spirit and body, was beginning to sink in. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt himself start to fall into despair.<p>

An enormous hand grasped him, lifted him into the air like a rag doll. "A pity that the one daring to call himself Lord of Darkness would be so weak," Demise muttered. "I suppose I must hold you here, for there is no other way that…" Suddenly he cut short, and his next words were a murmur of such bloody joy that Ganondorf went cold. "She comes."

Demise dropped him and he landed on his back, eyes swimming with pain, so at first he could not determine who the newcomer was. The fire-haired demon raised his face toward the gate at the top of the pit. "At last, you have arrived. It has been far too long, Lady."

"Who are you and what do you want?" The sharp voice pierced the darkness, and Ganondorf flinched in surprise. Zelda's voice. How did she get here? Why was she here?

He could hear the frown in Demise's voice. "Come now. Cast off that mortal shell and speak to me properly. Or have you split yourself apart so far that you no longer remember?"

Ganondorf's vision cleared enough to see "Sheik" making her way cautiously down the corkscrew stairs. "I won't ask again. Who are you?"

Demise scowled. "I can see beyond that bag of flesh you're wearing, that you've wrapped yourself in the spells of your old servant. I knew if I took back my little toy that you'd come looking for him. He has my mark upon him. You would be able to follow it blind. You can't be so far gone that you've forgotten who you are, Hylia."

The red eyes that had been staring at the unfamiliar form of the Gerudo King snapped upward. "I'm afraid you have me mistaken with someone else," she said in a tone that suggested mockery, not just of him but herself as well. "I am not of the line of the goddess. If you be the ancient evil of whom the tales speak, you should be able to tell."

A huff of impatience rumbled through the pit. "Fool. You really have forgotten. The blood of mortals has no bearing on your existence. When you split your body among your chosen people, you kept your mind with the Spirit Maiden." He took a step toward her. "Come! I will shake the cobwebs from your brain!"

He raised his hand, and she drew her knife. With a broad sweep of his arm, he slapped his hand across her side and sent her tumbling into the opposite side of the pit. Her cry of pain rent the chamber and Ganondorf struggled to roll back over on his stomach, raising his head. Demise walked casually, unhurried, toward the woman on the ground. "Cast off that mortal shell! I am losing my patience."

He bent down, and yanked something off her back. Zelda raised a frail hand in protest as Demise held up the lyre Sheik always carried. "You've spread yourself too thin," he said. "If you cannot obtain your true form with the power in this, then I suppose I will just have to destroy your spirit as it is, trapped in that pathetic body."

Before she could protest, he crushed the lyre in his hand. It fell to the ground, metal twisted and strings cut. "What are you doing?!" Zelda demanded, rising on one knee and supporting herself against the wall. "I tell you, I am not of the blood of the goddess!"

Slowly, painfully, Ganondorf brought himself up on his hands and knees and crawled toward the scimitar on the other side of the pit. Demise paid him no more attention than he would a bug at his feet. "A shame," the demon said as he grasped the woman in one hand. She cried out and flailed as he began to crush her with little effort. "To kill something that is already all but dead. I had wished to gaze upon your beauty once again, Lady, before I snuffed it from this world entirely. But the false hope you placed in your creations is your undoing."

Ganondorf snatched up the scimitar, then prayed that he would not stumble as he ran toward Demise. He raised the sword and slashed hard at the unprotected back of his ankle, bare of the scaly armor and holding the same weakness as any mortal.

Demise's screech of pain nearly shattered his eardrums. A broad hand slapped him back against the wall, and his scimitar skittered away from his hand. With his fading eyesight he could see the enormous bulk of the Demon King stepping forward quickly to end him. It didn't matter, he told himself. He had done all he could do. With the coming of death, the pain began to leave him. A flash of light filled his vision.

…And returned him to the very same scene he had left. Only this time, there was something between himself and Demise. Dream or death, he could not tell, as he tried to focus on the shimmering form in front of him. A woman garbed in white, a crown of stars at her brow, bearing a sword of light. The sword struck like lightning, and somewhere in the back of his head Ganondorf could hear an angry cry from Demise. Scales from his arm shattered and tinkled on the floor like glass. The woman moved with the grace of water over stone, parrying Demise's attacks, her fluid steps contrasting against his raw power.

The image swam, buckled, and then grew dark.

* * *

><p>Hylia struggled as Demise caught her sword in his bare hand, blue-black blood dripping from the palm and hissing on the ground. "Not this time, Lady," he said in a gravelly voice that still throbbed with raw force, yet had lost some of its cocky demeanor.<p>

Tears streamed down the Goddess's face. "Is this why you brought me here, to force me to remember? Everything that I lost, that I gave up to fulfill my duty as guardian of the Triforce?"

He gave her a lopsided grin, off-kilter from one of the cuts to his face. "Not much of a guardian, are you, when I am a match for you unarmed. What's the matter, couldn't find a proper warrior this time?"

She wrenched the sword from his hand, swiped but missed. "You knew that no servant of yours could defeat my warrior, so you sent another to find a vessel for your own spirit. But even though he is not one of mine, even though he allowed you to guide him in the slaughter of my people, still he rejects you!"

Demise flicked his hand, sending dark blood into Hylia's eyes. In the moment she shook her head to clear them, he punched her in the stomach and sent her reeling. "No matter. Once you are gone, I will take this land and reshape it to my own liking. The Three can always create another."

She blocked his next punch with the flat of her sword. "I will not fail the Three."

He snarled in rage. "Idiot sister, why do you always kneel to others, even the worms that crawl upon the ground? Why do you not do something for yourself for once?"

She met his charge with her own, throwing him on his back, and raised the sword over his heart. "Because I know the meaning of duty."

He shrieked in pain and anger as she thrust downward, but she could only pin him, not kill him. He clawed at her, bloody streaks crisscrossing her arms, her body, her face. Still she held her ground as she summoned ancient magics, bindings in the form of light. As the shackles pulled back his arms, bound his ankles, she lifted the sword and stumbled away. Taking a moment to fetch the stilled spirit of a Gerudo boy, she ran up the stairway and back into the gates.

As she passed between worlds, her mortal body wrapped itself around her once more, and she had to let the injured spirit go. Zelda fell to her knees, her blue Shekiah tunic stained crimson, blood soaking into the floor of the holy temple.


	17. Chapter 17

The first thing that registered in Ganondorf's consciousness was the cold stone floor. Its hardness grounded him and helped his head to stop spinning. He opened his eyes to see the small boy's hand curled down upon the floor in front of him. Dimly he registered that he was still in his spirit's form, but now back in the mortal world.

Injured as he was, he knew that sheer force of will could keep his spirit alive. Painfully he raised his head from the floor, and looked around. A still form upon the ground caught his eye and his focus shifted to see the battered, broken body in front of him.

He leaped to his feet, life returning to his soul. Running to the side of the woman in Shekiah garments, he pressed his hand to the side of her neck. There was life there still, though he could see what remained quickly leaving her though crimson threads.

The birthing room. There was a sacred spring there, for cleaning the newborns when they first entered the world. Not to mention plenty of supplies to keep a woman from bleeding to death. He had let curiosity lead him there as a boy and the then-keeper of the temple had given him a beating he had never forgotten. Ganondorf struggled to lift the prone body, pull at least one arm over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Ganondorf's head jerked up to see the puzzled face of the Sand Goddess staring down at him.

Mouth hanging open, he attempted to explain the obvious. "She's hurt…Great Goddess, I need to bring her…too heavy…"

The goddess blinked gold-coin eyes, dulled in disinterest. "What do you care if she dies? She is the leader of the people who killed my children and your sisters."

The normally verbose Gerudo King resorted to stuttering and a performance of arm-waving. "You can't…that THING…that thing in the other room…she saved me from it…"

The Goddess frowned at him. "The core of darkness? I sensed it awaken, and then sleep once more. But I hardly think that this woman could…"

"Great Goddess, please!" He started tugging at the body, staring wide-eyed at the apparent obtuseness of his Guardian.

She paused, then sighed. "Very well. Stop pulling at her, there is nothing you can do in your current form. Go fetch your body at the far end of the temple. You're not strong enough to carry her without it. Go to the birthing room and I will ensure you have what you need, at least to stabilize her and bring her elsewhere. I will ensure nothing happens to her body."

The boy's spirit took off, sprinting through the halls of the temple. He bashed his shins on a jutting platform, tripped several times, and face-planted at least once. Finally reaching the giant prone form on the floor, he pushed himself inside. Ganondorf's eyes snapped open, and he leaped up from the ground.

…only to fall on his face once more. Used to the weightlessness of a mere spirit, his body weighed him down. Muscles cried out in agony after being still for so long, but he forced himself to his feet. Leaning against the wall for support, he shuffled as quickly as he could back to Zelda.

The Goddess was still there, waiting for him. She said nothing as he gingerly picked up the body, weighing next to nothing compared to hauling his own bulk around. Quickly he carried her to the birthing room, leaving behind a trail of red drops. He placed her gingerly on the altar, between ever-burning braziers, then dug into the woven baskets filled with cotton and linen bandages. Her blood on his hands smeared on the perfect white cloth.

He tore the shredded clothing from her body, plunging the bandages into the spring behind the altar and pulling them tight around the rends in her flesh. From another basket he seized a handful of small black beetles, one by one pressing them against the largest cuts. The creatures bit down hard and he pulled the bodies away from the heads, leaving makeshift sutures and sealing her skin.

Finally, when he had stoppered the flow of blood, he examined her face, lifted her eyelids. Her skin was too pale, her eyes did not flinch at his touch.

"There is nothing more you can do here." He whirled around to see the Sand Goddess behind him. "You must take her to your sisters if you wish to save her."

Ganondorf hesitated. He saw the Goddess read the message in his eyes; his sisters had abandoned him. She offered neither solace nor suggestion; he set his jaw and picked Zelda up from the altar, walking quickly toward the entrance to the Temple.

"They will kill you, you know," the Goddess said softly.

He turned to face her. "I will not stand by and do nothing, as the one who fought Hyrule's Demise for my soul dies. I still have my honor."

* * *

><p>Ganondorf was not surprised to see Zelda's horse there, but he was surprised to see his own, standing at the entrance and waiting for him. Thanking all five Goddesses he knew, he mounted his horse bareback with Zelda's body lying gingerly against one arm. The gallop across the Wastelands seemed to take hours, his own body attuned to every little gasp or change in breath in Zelda's. The sandstorms were strangely absent, the creatures sleeping in their dens, and he welcomed each burst of scarlet as he passed the traveller's posts and their pitiful flags.<p>

Finally the walls of the Fortress came into view, and he only slowed when a warning arrow hit the sand before his horse, causing it to rear up in surprise. "Go back, False King! You are not welcome here!"

He coaxed the spooked horse back down to all four feet. "I have come not to beg for my own life, but for hers," he called up to the guards at the top of the gate. "The Lady Zelda has saved us all. If you doubt me, ask the Sand Goddess herself!"

The guards huddled together in consternation. "You speak strong words, False King," Grandmother Mitari's voice called down from the Fortress. "Can you back them?"

He nodded once, curtly. "Come see for yourself, Grandmother."

The gates parted, and the elderly woman hobbled slowly toward the man on the horse, flanked by a guard of ten. Ganondorf dismounted and held the injured woman out to her. Mitari touched Zelda's face, and her stern expression softened. "There is a pall of darkness upon her," she muttered more to herself than to Ganondorf. "So deep, and so dark…what have you been doing, boy?"

He willed himself not to tremble at the memory. "Please, Grandmother…you must save her."

The elderly woman's clouded eyes looked up into his own. "I see," she said slowly. She turned to the guard, saying, "Take the Lady Zelda to the infirmary." The women looked surprised, but complied. They plucked her body from the arms of the man without looking at him, then brought her inside.

The gate slammed shut, with the Gerudo King on the wrong side.

* * *

><p>When Zelda awoke, she could not at first discern where she was. Where were the carved wooden walls, the decorative feathers from her bird, the painted carvings her childhood friend had given her?<p>

Then she remembered…that was another lifetime, an age upon an age ago. So where was she now? She sat up in the simple bed, staring at the blank adobe walls, and her gaze came to rest upon her own arms. Wrapped in stained bandages. Since when does a Goddess bleed? And then she remembered again…she had only awakened as Hylia for a short time, though the Goddess's memories were still intertwined in her own.

No matter, she thought, devoid of emotion. The memories will soon fade, once I figure out what iteration of the Endless Cycle I am in now. She glanced around the room once more, trying to place the image with another she had encountered somewhere in many lifetimes.

The door opened, and a middle-aged woman entered, though her muscled body and wiry frame made her look much younger than she was. Zelda's eyes rested on the golden eyes, the fire-red hair. Gerudo, the word came to her even before she could match the image with it. This woman's race is called Gerudo.

"Lady Zelda, how are you feeling?" the woman asked with a familiar smile. It faded as Zelda stared blankly at her. "Oh, Milady, surely you remember me? It's Antiada." The woman drew closer and took her hand, a worried expression on her face.

A door closed in Zelda's mind, and another one opened. She smiled as the pieces came together. "Antiada, so good to see you. I am feeling well. But…" Zelda struggled to get at the other memories that came with this lifetime, and could not come up with anything recent. "What happened?"

A little crease of concern spread across Antiada's forehead. "We were hoping you knew, Lady Zelda. You ran off to the Spirit Temple, saying something bad would happen if you couldn't find the False King."

"False King?"

Antiada averted her eyes. "Yes, Milady…the one who failed to…to redeem himself after taking the life of another Gerudo…"

Zelda stood up so quickly that the blood rushed from her head and she nearly fell over. As Antiada reached out to steady her, she said, "But he did! I saw Nabooru there… she had forgiven him. Isn't that enough?"

Startled, Antiada asked, "You saw the Exalted Nabooru? And she had forgiven him?"

Zelda nodded vigorously. "Where is he now? I must speak with him."

Antiada's eyes widened. "He's not allowed here, Milady. He…"

"I saw Nabooru at the Temple, I tell you! Where is he? I will go to him."

"Calm down, Milady!" Antiada gripped Zelda's weakened arms in her strong ones. "If what you say is true, and the Elders approve, I will bring him to you. He hasn't moved from the Desert Gate in three days."

Zelda stared. "Three days?"

Nodding, Antiada replied, "Yes, you were very ill for the first two days. We were not sure you would survive. Wait here, Milady, and I will consult with the Elders."

Zelda watched from the window as Antiada approached a small huddle of women outside. They spoke among themselves for so long that Zelda considered going back to bed, weary from leaning on the hard brick of the window in the early morning sun. Finally they barked an order up to the guards on the top of the gate. Zelda watched as a large pulley slowly rolled a chain over itself, opening the gate.

He entered with a phalanx of guards around him, and Zelda noticed that even though he was unarmed and without his armor, those guards were there to restrain him, not protect him. She doubted that the entire tribe would be able to subdue him, though he made no move outside of following where he was told to go.

Finally he appeared at her doorway, with Antiada and the others arranged protectively between the two of them. She noted with surprise that his troubled expression seemed to soften when he saw her there. Then, he did something completely unexpected.

He bowed. "Goddess Hylia," he said to the consternation of the women around him.

"Do not speak that name," Zelda snapped, so harshly that it surprised even her. Now even more confused, the Gerudo turned to her for an explanation. "Please, leave us," Zelda said to Antiada.

She got a wide spectrum of expressions in response, from disapproval to fearful concern. "Milady, are you sure?" Antiada asked.

"Yes, please. He will do nothing to me, and I will not allow him to cause your people harm." The Gerudo gave her questioning looks, but did as she asked, leaving guards at the corridors that led away from the sleeping quarters.

Now that he was here, waiting expectantly for her to speak, she could not bring herself to say anything. The first thing that came to her mind was, "You might as well forget about what Demise said. Hylia's soul is so deeply fragmented that you will get little to nothing out of me. I am Zelda, and nothing more. You cannot use me for your own ends."

His startled look surprised her. "I did not come to take anything from you," he said slowly. "I…though you do not wish to speak of it, you have done all of us a great service." He paused for a moment, and then asked, "Do…do you remember?"

"Of course I do. But that memory will fade, as much as her mind already has. Even a Goddess cannot remember everything. If one did, one would…go mad…" Her voice trailed off.

"I see." His words on their own did not amount to much, but Zelda could hear him reference his own madness in them. For a long while they said nothing. Finally, Ganondorf said, "I regret that this pain that Demise inflicted upon you came from me. I regret that I could do so little in the soul of a small boy." He fell silent again, and Zelda could tell he was about to drop another bombshell.

* * *

><p>Unused to honest humility, Ganondorf struggled for the words he needed to express his shame, his debt. He held only one thing over her, and by all rights now he had to release her from it. "I have freed Nabooru's soul, thanks to you. So in return, I free you from the condition that you imposed upon yourself. The marriage proposal is broken."<p>

Her startled look surprised him, as if she had been struck in the face. "What?"

Had she forgotten? "At Hyrule Castle…you said, 'I will marry you if you tell the Gerudo the truth about Nabooru'. And it was my foolish desire that killed her, that made me break the greatest of taboos against my people. And yet you saved us all once again, from the darkness that I invited into my own heart. I cannot ask for anything more, so I am freeing you of your side of the bargain."

He expected to see relief in her face, not hurt and anger. "You fool," she said, her body trembling. "You fool! Do you think that since Demise is sealed, now it is all over? You FOOL!" Her voice reached a fevered pitch, climbing three octaves. "The men of valor in Hyrule are all dead, and you are the one who killed them. The ones that remain plot against me, attempt to take the throne as their own. I cannot go back, lest they execute me as a pretender, a bastard child that could not save them from the Evil King. And now you cast me aside as well!"

Stunned, Ganondorf struggled to verbalize thought. "I don't under…"

"You killed my father and you killed my savior, but I have no choice. Do you think I want this? I am no Goddess, but I still have Hylia's responsibility as guardian of the Triforce. I must still do all that I can. I have no power of my own. Don't you see? Or perhaps you do see, and you just wish for me to beg at your feet? Beg to take you back, to lay bare how weak I really am? How dare you!" She turned and fled from him, back into the infirmary room.

"Now just wait a moment…" he shouted, stepping toward her. But that was as far as he got, for a dozen pairs of Gerudo hands pulled him away from the door.


	18. Chapter 18

Ganondorf made no attempts to break the grasp of the women shoving him through the halls and out the door of the fortress. Once or twice his muscles jerked as he instinctively resisted, but the memory of Demise stuck so strongly in his mind that he feared to raise his hand against his own people, lest he injure them again. But as they pushed him toward the Gate, his eye fell upon the elder Mitari.

"Grandmother!" he called out, and saw in relief that she did not ignore him. "Grandmother, I swear upon our mother's ashes that what I say is true! Nabooru's spirit is freed! If you go to the Spirit Temple, you will know that I speak the truth!"

The Gerudo dumped him unceremoniously out the gate and slammed it shut. He picked himself up off the ground to see the Gate bristling with arrows and spears, all pointed at his head and his heart. "Go now, False King, and do not return!"

He stood and faced them, standing his ground but making no move toward the Gate. The face-off tightened, and he saw the guards narrow their eyes and pull back their bowstrings. "Grandmother!" he called once again.

"Go, you fool!" one of the guards shouted. "You are dead to us. Go if you still value your own life."

He could hear the slightest tremble of fear in her voice, see the nervous tension in their eyes. They still saw him as the Bearer of Power who had toppled the King of Hyrule and laid waste to the land…and who could just as easily turn his wrath upon them. And yet they stood armed and ready, to make a final last stand if necessary, warriors to the end.

He turned and walked away.

Behind the gate, Mitari could feel the other women relax slightly, and she knew that he must be retreating. She called Aveil over to her. "Fetch a litter and four guards. You will be coming with me to the Spirit Temple."

Aveil stared at her. "You…you believe the False King's words?"

The old woman pursed her lips. "I cannot say what transpired in the Temple," she said, "But it is true that I no longer hear Nabooru's spirit crying on the wind. We must go and see for ourselves what happened."

After a pause, Aveil said, "As you wish," and hurried off.

* * *

><p>Ganondorf found his horse where he had left it, grazing on the thorny bushes that dotted the landscape between the Fortress and the canyon entrance to Hyrule. He stroked the beast's mane as he thought over what to do next.<p>

Zelda had said 'I have no power' and 'they plot against me to take the throne'. So first of all, that meant that the Goddess he had encountered remained firmly in that other dimension where Demise had been sealed. It surprised him a little that it hadn't occurred to him to attempt to use her power, but then he had not been given much time to think about it.

Her other phrase troubled him more. He remembered her saying something to the Deku Tree – something about not being a legitimate heir. She had obviously kept this a secret for a long time, but something must have happened when he was in the Spirit Temple. If that were so, then likely the fool nobles were already fighting each other. He doubted that it would launch Hyrule into a full-scale civil war – these new courtiers didn't have the kind of connections they needed to the other races.

The other races! Certainly, any monarch of Hyrule would need the blessing of the Gorons and the Zora. One controlled the means of weapons, the other controlled life-giving water. In the Fierce War, several factions had allies among the different races, but only those who pledged allegiance to Zelda's line remained.

But Zelda was not here. She likely would remain at the Fortress for a few more days, to regain her health. And obviously he was no longer welcome there.

Ganondorf gritted his teeth. There was only one option. He didn't like it, but he really had no other choice. Mounting his horse bareback once more, he rode off toward Lake Hylia.

The Zora guards shoved their spears in his face. For once in his life Ganondorf wished that he didn't look so imposing, even without armor. "Where is the Lady Zelda?" they demanded. "We have received word that she fled from the castle."

"She is at my people's stronghold," he replied, slowly and calmly. "She is unharmed."

The guards didn't move.

Ganondorf sighed. "Her legitimacy to the throne has been questioned," he said.

"And what does that have to do with you?" one of the guards demanded.

This was getting nowhere. Without Zelda, he had no means of gaining access to the Zora King. Not without using his old methods, anyway, which would just make things worse. Suddenly an idea came to him. "Then I will bring to you someone who will vouch for me, who you can trust."

They scoffed at him, though he could see the hands that held the spears tremble. "Get yourself gone, then," said the other guard, following up with a look off fearful regret at what had clearly been a challenge.

Ganondorf turned around and left. He could feel their surprise behind them, but didn't bother himself with their reaction. In fact, he had to be very careful to keep both eyes in front of him. The little streams that wound around the entrance to Zora's Domain might have been easy enough for the child Hero to swim in, but Ganondorf couldn't swim at all. Picking his way carefully along the riverbanks, he strained to convey a sense of easy leisure. He would have been dead long ago if his enemies had known they merely had to push him in the water. He mounted his horse at the mouth of Zora's Domain and took off for Death Mountain.

Doors and windows slammed shut upon his appearance at the Kakariko gate. He paid them no mind, though he did spare a glance toward the well in the center, wondering briefly what Impa's spirit was doing now. He left his horse in the town; it shied at the hot stones and ash the volcano spewed, and he knew none of the townspeople would dare touch it.

He passed the entrance to the Dodongo's cave as he walked up the mountain. Would they really have starved before giving him the Goron Ruby? What was it to them, other than a tasty bribe offered by the previous King? Of course, he hadn't taken into account their famous stubbornness. A Goron was even more inclined than a Gerudo to do the opposite of something he didn't want to do. Not to mention loyal to a fault. He wondered what small favor the previous King had done for Darunia, to secure a promise that would bring him to fight dragons.

The town looked deserted – at least to anyone but a Gerudo or another Goron. The stone-dwellers easily camouflaged themselves among their own walls, though raiders accustomed to picking up the glint of gold across a wide desert could easily pick them out. Ganondorf ignored them and walked toward the Patriarch's room, rapping his knuckles on the hard stone door.

No answer. But then Ganondorf hadn't really expected one. Raising his voice to a level that echoed throughout the entire hall, he said, "Damun, I bring a message from Hylia."

Silence. Then, the door raised just enough to speak through a small crack. "What do you know of Hylia?" Damun's voice demanded.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ganondorf said, "I know that her spirit resides in Zelda, regardless of the bloodlines of mortals. I know that Gorons live so long that the Patriarch must have knowledge passed down from his elders of the Lady and her First Hero. I know that Hyrule is in danger if she is unable to serve at its head."

The door opened, and Ganondorf found himself face-to-face with a frowning Damun. "Well? What is the message?"

"The nobles of Hyrule fight for the throne while she is recovering at the Fortress," he replied. "The Hylians do not realize that her spirit is not tied to her bloodline, and there is likely no point in attempting to educate them."

Damun's eyes narrowed. "What is she recovering from?"

"The Demon Lord."

A look of shock passed over Damun's eyes. "I see," he said slowly. "The nobles had been asking us for bombs and weapons, without answering our questions about Zelda. I had a feeling that it could not be just you that brought all this darkness into the world."

Ganondorf decided not to comment.

"Well, what does the Lady require?" Damun demanded, crossing his arms.

"The support of the other races," Ganondorf replied. "A show of force at the castle gates. We need both you and the Zora. The Shekiah are gone; the Kokiri are useless to us."

Frowning, Damun said, "That sounds more like something you would require, not Zelda. You are a liar and a thief, and you give me very little reason to believe you, much less support you."

"I don't intend to go directly to the castle. I intend to bring the representatives of the two races to the Fortress first, where Zelda may speak to you herself."

"Bring the Zoras to the desert?" Damun asked with a humorless chuckle. "You haven't thought this through, have you? It's not like you at all."

Ganondorf realized he was making this up as he was going along, but there was no help for it. Sometimes great plans had no time to be made in advance. "If I had proof to give you, I would. I can only ask that you take trust in Hylia's name, which I would not know without speaking to her myself. All we can do otherwise is wait for the Hylians to destroy their own country."

Damun studied him with granite eyes, his face as expressionless as the stone around them. Finally, he said, "Your speech and manner are different. It may just be that you have found a new way to deceive people, but I know this – Hyrule cannot survive another war." He turned to the great hall around them and called, "Come out of hiding, Gorons! We leave immediately for Zora's Domain!"

* * *

><p>The second time Zelda awoke, it took only a few moments for her to remember where she was. Still, she could tell she had been asleep for a long time, judging from the growling of her stomach. Her head felt light as she sat up carefully in the bed, and she noticed that someone had exchanged her torn Shekiah garments for a clean but plain Hylian dress. She wondered where they had gotten it, then decided not to ask.<p>

Zelda wrapped the threadbare quilt around her as she left the room. It was night, and though the braziers were lit, anywhere not within ten feet of a fire was freezing cold. She had not walked far before she saw Antiada running up to her. "Lady Zelda, you're awake! It's too cold for you to be wandering around. I will get you some food". She started pushing her back toward the bed.

"Antiada, where is Ganondorf?" Zelda asked. She could not remember in full their last conversation, but she had a feeling that she should start again where she left off.

Antiada flinched slightly. "Milady, please, we do not speak of those exiled from the Fortress."

Zelda stopped in her tracks. "Exiled? But…he completed the task you gave him. And more. Just because he didn't do it in a fortnight…"

Shushing her, Antiada said, "All is not lost, Milady. The elder Mitari went to the Spirit Temple yesterday, to see if the words he spoke were true. She should be back tomorrow morning." She pressed Zelda back down onto the bed. "Sit here, and I will bring you something hot to eat." She scurried off.

Zelda found herself drawn to the window, despite the cold. The watch-fires glowed warm in what would otherwise be total darkness; there was no moon tonight. Here and there she could see little groups of Gerudo standing or sitting around the fires, talking with bowls of soup and earthen cups from the few springs that only they knew.

"Here, Milady, have something to eat." Antiada returned with one of her children, carrying a bowl of meaty stew and a cup of water. Zelda did not realize how hungry she was until she smelled the stew; she took the spoon offered to her and barely managed to prevent the food from burning her tongue. She took a famished drink from the water; it always had a slight mineral taste to it, and she suspected there had to be limestone caves somewhere in the area.

Her duties done, Antiada's daughter ran off to be with her friends. Antiada sat down next to Zelda, gently touching the bandages that bound her arms. "If you don't mind me asking, Milady, what happened? Did the False King injure you?"

Suddenly the words Antiada spoke earlier finally registered in her mind. "Antiada, didn't the Gerudo find me in the Temple? Didn't you bring me back?"

Surprised, Antiada said, "Oh no, Milady. The False King brought you back. We did not know what it was that hurt you. We thought it was him, even though he asked us to heal you."

"It wasn't him, it was…" She stopped eating and turned to her companion. "He brought me back here, and you exiled him anyway?"

"Begging your pardon, Milady, but you had nothing to do with the task we gave him."

Zelda's gaze strayed to the window, even though she could see nothing but blackness beyond the Fortress. "That's not right…I didn't know…I shouldn't have spoken the way I did…"

Antiada patted her hand. "Don't worry, Milady. We can easily track him, and I have a feeling that Mitari will ask us to do so when she returns from the Temple." She took the empty bowl from Zelda's hands. "You should go back to sleep, if you can. You still need a bit more time to recover."

Zelda wanted to object, but her limbs felt like lead. She stretched out onto the bed, and fell asleep even before she heard Antiada bid her good night.

* * *

><p>She awoke the next morning to the sound of horns and drums. Groggy from sleep, she tossed off the quilt that had made her begin to sweat even at this early hour. Pulling herself up to the window, she gazed out in amazement.<p>

The Fortress was alive with activity. Gerudo warriors ran back and forth, prepping horses with colored ribbons as if to go on campaign. Several dozen Gorons waddled about the grounds, speaking with the Gerudo or simply taking in the unusual surroundings. And in the middle of it all, Ganondorf sat armor-less on his horse, in a plain leather saddle.

He caught her gaze and raised his hand. "Hail, Lady Zelda!" he called in a voice that made every other face in the Fortress look up toward her. "There are Zora to add to this party, but they are waiting down by the water." She could see his look of triumph as he saw her surprise. "Nabooru's spirit is at rest, but I understand the castle town is an uproar. I have brought many who do not intend to fight, but who all support the Lady Zelda. Is this the power you require?"

For once in her life, Zelda could not think of anything to say. But she was not about to pass up such good fortune.


	19. Chapter 19

Unable to contain her curiosity, Zelda left the room and hurried through the hallways, but she stopped short when she saw Mitari standing in the middle of the hall. "Walk with me, Lady," she said more as an order than an invitation. "I would speak with you."

"What do you want to know?" Zelda asked, trying to tamp down her impatience as Mitari led her at a snail's pace. She blocked Zelda from moving any faster, though Zelda would not have pressed past her anyway. "Or is there something you want to tell me?"

"First of all, I have asked Antiada to make you a proper gown. As impressive as you are in the shadow-walkers' garb, I doubt your countrymen will be able to see past their own impressions of what a Queen must be like."

Zelda frowned at her. "I don't know what you are…"

"Listen to me. You know I speak the truth. You will not be allowed to take the throne on your own, and our King is not capable of doing it himself. Make it a mere alliance if you must, but the fact remains that he must rule and you must help him. Hyrule cannot last through another war."

She touched Zelda's hand with her own gnarled one, and Zelda noticed the little finger missing, doubtless lost in some fight in years gone by. "Milady, I do not know what connection you have to the holy spirits of this land, but I know that you were able to send Nabooru's lost spirit home. I know you were able to purge our King of the strange darkness that has held his heart ever since he was a boy, and even though he will carry the scars on it for the rest of his life, he is no longer chained to the demons that led him to lay waste to this land. I have faith in him, and in you."

Zelda said nothing for a while. The memories of Hylia were fading, but she still felt strangely out of place and wondered how much Mitari also knew. "I can tell you what transpired, but…"

Mitari shook her head. "Those words are not for my ears. But I beg you to listen to mine, as a poor messenger for a landless people. We need you, and you need us." She stopped and gestured toward Antiada, who held a silk gown in her hands. Zelda could see dark circles under her eyes, indicative of how long the woman had been working with needle and thread.

"Please Milady, if you would…" Antiada held out the dress to her.

Zelda took it, feeling the soft silk between her fingers. She stripped off the remains of her Shekiah outfit and stepped into the gown, a bit surprised at how well it fit her. She noted with a kind of embarrassed astonishment that Antiada had sewn it with such skill that it flattered her figure without lessening the impression of stately power. As Antiada tore a comb through her hair, Zelda looked into the cracked mirror that had been brought to her for this express purpose. This was more than just a woman's gown, it was an expression of her stature and her place in this world.

She had never worn anything like this, as a child her dresses were finely made but relatively plain. She spend her seven years in exile in a man's garb, and after the Hero's fall, she had dressed as unobtrusively as possible to avoid attracting attention to herself. Not even the princess gown she had chosen to finally reveal herself to the Hero could compare with it. While that dress had been impressive with its gold and embroidery, this one cast off the impression of the girl who had hidden and prayed for her savior. It was a woman's dress, for a woman of high standing, a woman who was not to be trifled with.

Mitari made a small bow, a smile on her face and a bit of gold in her hands. "Begging your pardon, but I suppose we should give this back to you, as you'll need it." Zelda recognized the spread-eagle, and though she knew they must have stolen it she said nothing as Mitari fastened it around her neck.

Antiada stepped forward with a circlet of bronze. "It's the best we could do," she said.

"There is no need to apologize," Zelda said, her resolve beginning to solidify as Antiada placed it on her head.

"Eh, Hylians are so picky about appearances," Mitari muttered. "I hope this will be enough to at least make them pay attention."

Zelda squared her shoulders, and gave Mitari a small smile. "The clothing is not as important as how one wears them. But your skill with the needle will help me immensely." She inclined her head in thanks, and gave Antiada's hand a small squeeze, then made her way toward the Fortress courtyard.

Damun spotted her first, his eyes well-tuned to the dark. She had not even stepped outside yet when he hailed her, his eyes lit up in surprise and relief. "Lady Zelda! So Ganondorf spoke truly; you are alive and well."

"Damun, I'm so glad you came," she said and extended her hand. "Hyrule needs the strength and common sense of the Gorons."

"The Zora are with us as well, but further down in the canyon. Come, Lady Zelda, and address them, so that we might go to Hyrule Castle and tie up any loose ends."

"Your horse, Milady," said one of the Gerudo, bringing her a snow-white horse with an ebony-black mane and tail. It had been outfitted in campaign tack, lightly decorated in bright colors. Absently Zelda wondered where they had managed to find a sidesaddle, and adjusted herself as well as she could on the uncomfortable thing.

"Whenever you are ready." She turned to see Ganondorf behind her, deliberately off to one side. Zelda's eyes narrowed slightly. How long would he acquiesce to her? If Mitari was right, she did not need to fear any more physical battles. But just how long would he be willing to sit in her shadow? And what power, if any, would he grant her?

She met his gaze and searched his eyes for the answer. The ambition was still there, the rights he claimed this land and its throne. There was no trickery, but she could tell that he still placed himself before her, in mind if not in body.

Zelda gathered up the reins. "I am ready now. Come, let us go."

Ganondorf barked an order to the rest of the Gerudo; the warriors of the tribe left the children and the elderly for their horses trussed up for campaign. Damun bellowed to the other Gorons and they folded themselves forward, rolling like an avalanche out of the Fortress and through the canyon.

Zelda tried not to let her heart rise too high. The finery that had been stitched together for the campaign did not completely erase the possibility of battle. The colorful banners did not hide the shiny, polished halberds, and each Gerudo had a sword at her side. She wondered at Ganondorf's lack of armor, though she supposed that he looked intimidating enough without it.

He noticed her watching him and nudged his horse closer. "Did you wish to speak to me?"

"Do you think that since you survived Demise, you are impervious to arrows?" she asked in a low voice.

He smiled slightly. "Do you?"

"I have some small proof of my birthright, that I intend to show when we reach our destination," she replied. "I would not expect them to shoot us on sight, though one never knows. The people who will have claimed the castle by now are unpredictable and inexperienced."

"Perhaps you should ride to the back, then."

She turned hard eyes upon him. "I will not."

He laughed. It was simple mirth, not mockery at all. She frowned at him, puzzled. "Forgive me," he said. "There is no precedent for this, is there? I must admit that I am curious to see how it will all turn out."

Zelda harrumphed and turned back to the road. "I suppose only one such as yourself could find such uncertainty amusing."

"Come, Lady Zelda. All challenges have the potential for amusement."

She sighed. "Not when they ride on the backs of those you are charged to protect."

* * *

><p>The pace of the campaign slowed somewhat to accommodate the Zora, who would walk well enough on land but could not ride. Zelda sent a Goron messenger out ahead; not only could he get there quickly, but any unfriendly arrows would have no effect on his thick hide. The group slowed and then stopped upon his return, and he saluted the Lady Zelda. "They do not seem to comprehend what I have told them, Miss," he said, his face slightly troubled. "They seemed to grasp that we mean them no harm, but I heard a scramble for guards when I left."<p>

"They are afraid," said Ganondorf. "That is plain enough."

"As well they should be," said Zelda. "My people do not handle uncertainty as well as yours. I want to make that clear. No sudden moves, no ultimatums."

"You are the more diplomatic of us two," said Ganondorf. "I will leave it to you."

Zelda stared out over the hill, toward the castle. By now they must have seen the dust kicked up by the campaign. Leave it to her? The one who failed them to begin with?

She noticed Ganondorf watching her, and turned in some irritation toward him. "Yes?"

"Come, Lady Zelda," he said in a voice that exuded confidence, yet held some small waver of puzzlement. "You sealed away the original Great Darkness. Surely this army of merchants and farmers are nothing after that."

She said nothing for a while, then turned away and sighed. "It is those small things, the harvest, the merchants' trade, the books penned by scribes that keep a country running in peace. A war has an end, in victory, defeat, or armistice. But one strives to keep peace never-ending, and the greatest test of kingship is to maintain the mundane."

* * *

><p>"Halt! Who brings a company of fighters to the gate of Hyrule Castle?"<p>

Zelda squinted up at the banners. She saw two distinctly different families represented; they must have made some sort of power-sharing agreement, at least long enough to keep this new threat at bay.

Ganondorf opened his mouth before she could say anything. "I have returned to what is rightfully mine. Those who you see before you stand with the Lady Zelda, with whom I intend to share my throne."

"YOUR throne?" one of the soldiers barked in anger, but he was drowned out by the company.

"HAIL, LADY ZELDA!" The tight group of Gerudo, Gorons and Zora blasted away all challenges with just three words.

The soldiers on the wall huddled together for a quick conference. "We follow orders only from our own masters," one of the guards proclaimed in a shaking voice. "We have been instructed to open these gates to no one but the Hylian representative of the Goddess."

"Pitiful fools, their masters," Ganondorf muttered. "Putting their own people on the front lines and using a loophole for their excuse."

Zelda nudged her horse forward. "I may not have the blood of the fallen King, but I still bear proof of my connection to the Goddess."

She raised her hands, and a golden bow appeared within them. Pulling an arrow back, she held it briefly and aimed for the pole holding up one of the banners. The arrow of light rent it in two. Before anyone could react she had already shot the banner belonging to the other family. She could see the face of the guard who had spoken turn white as she aimed a third arrow at his head. "Open this door, in the name of the Golden Goddesses!"

The guards scattered. They heard rattling from the gear-house, and the barred castle gate rose, the bridge lowered. Zelda kept her bow taut until they had passed through the gate and stood in the middle of the town square, surrounded by their campaign.

Ganondorf laughed softly. "Well, that was easy enough."

Zelda frowned at him. "You assume too much. This is just the beginning."


	20. Chapter 20

The castle town seemed to buzz at the edges, as its inhabitants peeked through windows and alleyways to catch a glimpse of the colorful campaign riding through. Ganondorf watched as they flinched away from him and turned hopeful gazes upon the Lady Zelda, riding beside him with the rumble of Goron feet and flash of Zora spears behind them.

This show of unity encourages them, he realized. Locked in their houses and farmsteads, they preferred to have someone else barter among the other races to obtain the things they needed.

"It seems they would even follow a demon, if others flocked to his banner," he said more to himself than to Zelda. "Are they nothing more than sheep?"

She frowned at him. "I told you, my people fear uncertainty. You should be grateful that the poorer among them only wish for food and shelter, regardless of who provides it. Remember, Impa opened her village to those who had neither. They were willing to live in the shadow of the cursed well, the Crown's executioners, and the haunted graveyard for nothing more than a roof over their heads. Kakariko didn't change much in the Seven Years of Darkness. It was already an inauspicious place to begin with."

"And these town dwellers? Surely they remember the blackened frames of houses and monsters that roamed this square during that time."

"They also know who rebuilt it. And who now rides with the river keepers and providers of weapons at his back." She smiled slightly. "Are you so used to playing the villain that you cannot appreciate genuine support, rather than forced servitude?"

"Not all of them are supportive. What of those that placed the hapless guards at the gate?"

She turned away, the momentary brightness in her face darkening back to gray. "I would ask that you allow me to handle them," she said slowly, as if fearful of treading on unstable ground. "These men, the minor lords…they are the ones that played most prominently in the Fierce War." Turning back to him, she gave him a hard look. "These were men that wished to enter the ruling class, but could not do so because of the obsession with bloodlines. So they bartered with traitors of the other races, creating conflicts and then promising the King the means of ending them."

Ganondorf stared at her. "You were barely an infant when that war ended," he said. "How do you know all this? Even when you counseled the King against me, your reasons were limited to dreams about dark clouds."

"Impa told me," Zelda said simply.

They reached the castle drawbridge. The Goron messenger stepped forward. "Open, in the name of the Lady Zelda!"

Slowly the great bridge creaked downward over the moat. Standing in the doorway were two middle-aged men, dressed in fine silks with short swords at their waists. Ganondorf could tell at a glance that the jeweled scabbards held weapons more for show than for combat.

Both men bowed slightly. "The Kingdom of Hyrule welcomes the representatives of the different races," said one. "Come in and refresh yourselves, and in a few hours we will hold conference."

Ganondorf straightened in the saddle upon hearing this veiled insult. How dare they treat the rightful ruler as a mere visitor to his own castle! But as he inhaled deeply to roar an order loud enough to shake the rafters, Zelda's voice cut in.

"Very well," she said in a voice both calm and pointed.

Ganondorf contented himself with silently fuming until the two of them were shown into one of the rooms usually reserved for peasants awaiting an audience. "What are you doing?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice down to a low roar. "What kind of ruler are you, that allows others to trod all over her?"

"Listen to me," she hissed, her eyes narrowed. "You of all people should know how to handle those that are both necessary and dangerous. These men became the guild heads in return to their 'services' to the Crown during the Fierce War. We've been through this before…we need them, if we are going to rebuild Hyrule properly. They are the keepers of knowledge that is key to the kingdom's prosperity. At the same time, we cannot trust them. Without us here, they would be killing each other for the throne."

Here she leaned in close, her blue eyes close enough to his amber ones that he could see the black bands in the irises. "There is no greater danger than a coward with ambition. A straightforward warlord blesses his enemies with some degree of logic and predictability. You know what he wants and what he will do to get it. But a coward is different. He will run, hide, change his methods and his allies, do anything to save his hide, even if it is counterproductive in all other ways."

Ganondorf said nothing for a few moments. The idea that Zelda feared these sheep, these thin-skinned rabbits, far more than she feared him seemed ridiculous. And yet he had to admit he agreed with the crux of what she was saying. "All right then…what do you plan to do?"

"Let me do the talking," she said immediately, as if she had been waiting for the right moment to make this request. "You have the Zora and Gorons behind you, and you know I do not intend to deny you the throne. But please let me speak and don't object to anything I say, regardless of how strange it may sound. We can work out the details between us later on."

She seemed overly anxious to assure him that she was not trying to challenge his authority; whether she still saw the old tyrant of the dark years or wished to shove the goddess side of her in the background, he could not tell. "As you wish," he said at last. "I'm sure you will have more patience dealing with those fools than I will."

* * *

><p>He remembered the conference room all too well, and it showed in the fine detail lacking in most other places of the castle. Heavy silk drapes framing the windows, a fine oaken table polished to mimic a mirror, rugs so thick the threads sprang back up even from his heavy boots. Great paintings of Death Mountain, Hyrule field in the spring with the scattered color confetti of wildflowers. An enormous tapestry that told the story of the First Hero in meticulously stitched pictures.<p>

It was, of course, the place where he had finally risen up against the fool King that had threatened his people, whose courtiers watched in fear as Ganondorf's blade sliced his head from his body. He watched as Zelda seated herself in the same place where the late King sat, cringing ever so slightly. She had been with Impa somewhere else in the castle when it happened; he doubted she knew exactly what had happened there, though she certainly had a guess.

What did she think of this man, father only in name, who had neither sired her nor raised her? Who had dismissed her earnest warnings, only to seal his own doom?

Ganondorf stayed standing next to her, arms crossed and face glowering at the representatives of the different guilds. Though others might see it as a gesture of servitude, he preferred to stand. One lost too much time in a scuffle when one had to pull out from under a table and leap to one's feet.

The two nobles that had attempted to seize the country sat down on either side of her, acquiescing to her position yet attempting to get as close to the throne as possible. Perhaps this is what she meant by tricky cowards, he thought to himself. Neither pride nor honor gets in the way of their scheming.

"Thank you all for coming to meet with me today," Zelda said, or something equally dull. Formalities had never been Ganondorf's strong point, and he suppressed a yawn. The others sat around the table gazing rapturously at her, if for no other reason than to avoid his eyes. He contented himself with watching each of the men in turn, searching their expressions for something that might betray some other purpose.

He had not been paying attention to Zelda at all, so when the man at her left-hand side sat bolt upright and began to speak, it took him a few moments to understand what was going on. "Lady Zelda, even if you wished to hold the throne alone, you must either produce or appoint an heir. If you won't name an heir, then you must choose one of us to stand beside you."

"That has already been taken care of," she said smoothly. "He stands beside me now."

The men around the table froze in shock; Ganondorf himself blinked in surprise, though no one noticed. The table erupted into chaos, several of the men standing and pointing at him as if sighting a rat in the larder. "Lady Zelda, you can't be serious!"

"Have you forgotten the torment we went through in those seven long years?"

"You have been bewitched!"

"Do you really think we will agree to this?"

A fist slammed down onto the table with surprising force. All of the men stared at Zelda, whose face had gone white and hard as marble, her closed fist still resting on oak. "The heir of the Goddesses has spoken. You will accept my words, or you will fight me for the honor."

Another horrified silence. "Nonsense. The idea!" one of the men scoffed. "Raise a blade against a woman? Never!"

"Those fool Gerudo have addled your brains."

Ganondorf opened his mouth to hand out a choice number of insults, then remembered Zelda's request and closed it again. There was no point in arguing with fools. Let her deal with it, he told himself.

But the would-be rulers were not finished. The man on the right-hand side rise, trembling, his face a beet red. "Your blood is dirty enough, bastard child," he said, eliciting gasps from around the room. "You can't even do the one thing a woman must; keep herself pure for what is left of the bloodline. If it were one of us, perhaps we could bring honor back to the throne again. But for a woman's seal to be broken by an animal-!"

This was too much. Every head in the room swiveled toward Ganondorf as he unfolded his arms and took a step toward the man.

"Ganondorf," Zelda snapped in warning. "Ganondorf!" she shouted again when he ignored her. His hand shot out and grasped the man's neck, lifting him off his feet.

"This mere woman, as you call her, has done more to secure your pathetic lives than you can possibly imagine," he growled as the man turned blue and clawed at the hand around his neck. "And this is how you repay her? Do you honestly believe her worth is determined by a little flap of skin between her legs? Or by what man might draw blood from it? What of the blood she shed defending fools like you?" The image of Zelda on the floor, lying in a pool of crimson after her fight with Demise, nearly brought him to snap the man's neck.

Ganondorf dropped him back into the chair, where he coughed and gulped in air. Giving the entire room a last angry glance, he returned to his place by Zelda's side and folded his arms as if nothing had happened.

Zelda gave him one startled look, then sat back down in her chair. "There will be a brief ceremony the day after tomorrow," she announced, amid more consternation. "After that, I will expect you to address us as King and Queen. That is all." She rose, turned, and walked out the door, Ganondorf hurrying to keep up behind her.

"I need a few of your guards, just for tonight," she said, without slowing down or even looking at him.

"You may have them," he said, "but do you really expect an attack tonight? Would it be a better idea to lock potential murderers in the dungeon?"

"It's not murder that's on their minds."

"Then what?"

She stopped short, her mouth a thin line, speaking more to his breastplate than to him. "You heard what they said. They would rather ensure purity of the bloodline, even if it means foregoing the usual ceremonies."

He drew in his breath. "Do you mean they would actually attempt to…"

She gave him a short, curt nod. "A few Gerudo warriors should be enough to keep them from fulfilling their goal."

"Of course. Only the best. I will choose them myself."

Another little nod. Then she turned and walked away, down a hallway he knew led nowhere in particular, as if eager to get away from him if only for a little while longer.

He hurried off in the other direction. It was high time he spoke with Antiada again.

* * *

><p>"But this is ridiculous," Ganondorf thundered. "All this fuss over nothing! Do Hylians think women are permanently altered when they ride a horse for the first time? When they leave town for the first time? Or anything else that is a normal part of life?"<p>

"You forget, my King." Antiada sighed, trying to stay patient. "Their family structure is completely different. It is important for them to know which children were sired by which father. It is a question of ownership."

"That's disgusting. I know they will adopt children, even if they have children of their own. Besides, Zelda is a monarch. She outranks all of them. Ownership is not involved!"

"She is only a woman, my King. That means much less among them than it does among us."

Snorting like a horse, Ganondorf folded his arms and scowled at the wall. "She doesn't even want to go through with this. And it is beneath a Gerudo man to force her. The whole affair makes me sick. I would rather just do away with the fools, but…"

He didn't finish his sentence, and Antiada didn't dare finish it for him.


	21. Chapter 21

"Well, no sense in putting off what must be done." Ganondorf turned to Antiada. "We don't have much time. We need food, lots of it, and a way of preparing it."

Antiada blinked. "My Lord?"

"An event like this needs the proper kind of show," he said, more to himself than to her. "And you don't drag your unwilling subjects to a celebration they'd rather not attend without having something there for them."

"Ah, I see." Antiada nodded. "A feast. In that way, we are not all that different from the Hylians."

"We have more than just Hylians with us, and we have to find a way to feed them as well." He made a face. "The Zora only eat fish. I have no idea how to prepare it."

"I will inquire at the inns in the castle town. Hylians eat fish, too. They can help us prepare some of their own dishes as well."

"It's the Gorons that will be the bigger problem, no pun intended," he said as he scratched thoughtfully at the side of his face. "There's no way we can haul in enough rocks to feed them, and we can hardly ask them to fetch their own food themselves." He stared at Antiada until she nervously asked what he was thinking. "I want you to go to all of our people and ask them to give up some small bauble – set stones, preferably rubies, emeralds, diamonds."

Antiada clutched her thin necklace of small rubies, her entire worth in possessions in one band. "But, My Lord…!"

"Those who have more can spare more, for the benefit of those who have less." Ganondorf gave her a small smile. "Come, Antiada. As King of Hyrule I can request more reasonable rates from them in terms of polishing and setting new ones."

"Of course," she replied with a hint of reluctance. "I…I hope it will be enough."

"Gems are candy to them. Hopefully they will bring their own food if we offer dessert."

* * *

><p>The Traveler's Inn had just reopened. Despite the fact that nobody had more than two rupees to rub together, much of its old clientele – the ones that were left anyway – had come in for a drink and a few words with old friends. Its owner, Todd, kept busy refilling flagons while his new wife, Amelda, swept dishes from the tables and into the dishwater. She barely had them cleaned and dried before their hired cook, Janson, barked for more from the kitchen.<p>

The front door opened, and the cacophony in the room died to silence as three women stepped in. The diners stared openly as the dim lamplight glinted off the halberds of the two Gerudo flanking the third, who only held a small knife in her belt as a weapon. Even in the sudden hush, their small shoes made no sound as they walked toward Todd.

Todd clutched the mug he had been about to fill, not even bothering to pretend to clean it. "W-what can I do for you ladies?" he asked in a voice almost too soft to hear.

The woman in the middle smiled ever so slightly, the small friendly gesture contrasting sharply with the other two scowling down their long noses at him. "The King of Hyrule requests the services of a fine cook," she replied. "Do you have one to spare?"

Wordlessly, Todd turned toward the kitchen. Janson emerged slowly, folding thick arms over a barrel chest. The small tattoo of the Royal Seal on his shoulder spoke volumes, as did the scar over his skewed-shut left eye.

"Ah," Antiada said delicately. "A military cook. So you have experience in making meals for large numbers of people."

His face did not move, but Antiada could see the sharpness in his one eye. "And what would the King want that someone like me could cook for him?" he asked just as delicately in a deep, scratchy voice.

"Food for Hylian and Zora guests," Antiada replied. "We do not eat fish, and our own dishes are often…an acquired taste."

Janson said nothing, but walked slowly, purposefully, toward the Gerudo on Antiada's right hand side. "Do you remember me?" he asked pointedly.

She frowned slightly, looking him over. "You're the one that doesn't like chilies."

"That's right," he said with a lopsided smile. "We've met before. Did anything come of it?"

She stared back at him, defensive bordering on hostile. "Yes."

"So my daughter…will she be getting any of this kingly food?"

"She's not your-" the woman snarled, but Antiada interjected.

"Everyone will have plenty to eat. There will be a celebration tomorrow."

Janson swallowed a sneer. "A celebration of what?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss it," Antiada replied demurely.

He paused for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Very well. I accept the King's offer."

"Excellent. Gather what you need, then come with us," Antiada instructed, hoping her relief did not sound too obvious. The woman who had spoken snorted, but said nothing more.

* * *

><p>"You sent for me?" Damun asked, his arms crossed. Ganondorf couldn't tell if he was on the defensive or if that was just his natural posture. When Gorons were friendly, they held nothing back. When they weren't, you couldn't tell them apart from simple stone.<p>

"I did." Ganondorf picked up a covered bowl, about the size of his open hand. Large enough to dish out soup for a Hylian family, but only snack-sized for a Goron. "Has Zelda discussed with you her plans for the future of the kingdom?"

"She did, on the way here from the desert." He stood as silent and still as…well, stone. "She didn't seem coerced."

"She was not."

Silence.

"Just what, exactly, happened in the Spirit Temple?"

Ganondorf's voice hardened ever so slightly. "That's none of your concern."

"You might win more allies if you were more open about it."

Eyebrows quirked in surprise, Ganondorf said, "You're probably right, but…I'm not at liberty to discuss it. This goes above even me."

Damun watched him, glittering eyes in a face carved out of granite. His voice dropped. "Did you actually speak with the Goddesses?"

Ganondorf did not reply.

"I see." Damun nodded toward the bowl in Ganondorf's hands. "When you first called me here, I thought you were going to offer me a bribe. But it's something else, isn't it?"

His face breaking into a grin, Ganondorf said, "And a very poor bribe it would be. You see, we plan to offer food for our celebration tomorrow, but I cannot ask my warriors – strong as they are – to bring a feast fit a whole tribe of Gorons. So I can offer only this." He lifted the lid from the bowl.

If Damun was impressed or insulted by his offer, Ganondorf couldn't tell. But he caught Damun's eye traveling from the empty setting on his own armor, to the large amber jewel at the top of the pile.

"We don't need tables piled high with food," Damun said at last. "This will be more than enough."

* * *

><p>The ceremony came and went as quickly as possible without suggesting a scandal. Zelda borrowed from somewhere a simple white dress, and Ganondorf asked one of his warriors to fetch his ceremonial silk from the Fortress. The two stood together comically mismatched, the small pale woman next to the huge man in loud red robes. The young cleric standing at the head of the Temple nearly fainted halfway through, surrounded by both Zora and Gerudo bristling with weapons as the Hylian nobles cursed their ill fate with smiles on their faces behind them. Once all the proper rites had been observed, everyone left with relieved faces as they made for the long lines of tables set in the town square.<p>

There, the mood lightened considerably. Having eaten earlier, the Gorons played host and entertained their guests with stories and armfuls of dishes piled high. The common folk had always greatly outnumbered the nobles, now so even more; and neither the Gerudo nor the Zora bothered to chase off small peasant children that came wandering over toward the newly blessed King and Queen, eyes wide open.

The food was simple but abundant. The fruits of the Zora's labors showed in the numerous kinds of fish laid out for sampling. Hylian dishes were also well represented, a bevy of bread, cheese, and fruit. The Gerudo contented themselves with the same simple stew as always, chattering amongst themselves and ignoring the open stares of the Hylian men. But Zelda picked at her meal, a little furrow forming between her eyebrows.

There was no real planning for entertainment, but nobody except the jilted nobles seemed to care. A few would-be minstrels picked up battered instruments and made a game attempt at a quartet. Young couples rose from their seats and coursed across the cobblestones, happy for an excuse to be together. Children ran around them and dodged between ladies's skirts. A few of the dancers looked expectantly toward the royals' table.

"Why are they staring at us?" Ganondorf demanded. His boredom had continued unabated for the past several hours and he began to get impatient.

"Just old traditions, nothing important," Zelda said shortly.

"Hm? Oh. Better than sitting around and stuffing your face, don't you think?"

She stared at him.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "One of the things I had to learn in order to be able to set foot in the court of the Hylian throne. At least you're nimble enough that I don't have to worry that I'll tread on your feet, no?"

She looked away. "I don't want to."

"All the same to me," he said lazily, then looked around the table. "I'll ask one of my own people."

Her head snapped back toward him. "You can't do that."

He frowned. "Why on earth not?"

"You can't be seen with other women, not now!" she hissed.

He opened his mouth and closed it again. He hadn't considered this. "That's going to make things difficult among the rest of my tribe," he said in a low voice.

"What?! You can't possibly suggest…"

"I'm not trying to offend you. But I don't think they will want to go back to Hylian men again, not while they have a living King…"

Zelda buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Goddesses," she moaned. "I didn't even think of this, on top of everything else…"

"Come! Stop worrying about problems before they even exist. There must be some way around it." When she didn't answer, he rose and offered his hand. "I've had enough of ceremonies, saving face and tedium for one day. It's not doing you any favors, either."

She lifted her head from her hands, then stared at him with a little frown as if looking for some ulterior motive. Finally she took the proffered hand and followed him into the center of the square. The other couples made room for them, but both could feel curious eyes upon them.

"I expect they are waiting for me to fall flat on my face," Ganondorf muttered, half amused and half annoyed.

"Or me," said Zelda. "I haven't had much practice with this sort of thing."

He smiled slightly. "You have a Shekiah's deftness and agility. Imagine staying one step ahead of your enemy."

She bit her lip. "How appropriate."

Ganondorf kept the memory of the Shekiah-princess dancing on the walls of the courtyard to himself. No need to make her even more self-conscious, in front of the whole damned country. They moved slowly at first, keeping in step with the simple waltz that the musicians had managed to coax out of their instruments. Zelda learned quickly, easily grasping the repetitive one-two-three movements and gracefully placing herself opposite his every step.

He ignored the shouts of the Gerudo at first, but the whistles and drunken encouragement became too much very quickly. The women gathered up instruments of their own, and played music that dared the feet to travel much faster. Several of the Hylian couples dropped out and stood on the sides of the makeshift dance floor. "Do you want to stop?" he asked Zelda.

He was taken aback by the stubborn look on her face. "I can go as fast as you can."

Giving her a little half-smile, he replied, "Gerudo don't do anything halfway, Milady. They can play much faster than this."

"I don't care," She set her jaw, and he could tell that she was attempting to trade one challenge for another.

"I have to say, I do respect your willingness to attempt the impossible," he said with relish, and nodded toward the women who were now howling with excitement.

They picked up the tempo considerably, and Zelda realized with a mixture of amazement and relief that the tune they had chosen resembled the Bolero of Fire. That at least she knew well. But she was nearly jolted out of her thoughts as he pulled her hard to the right. "You have to keep up!" he said with the slightest hint of a teasing tone.

She couldn't help a small smile, for those were the same words Impa had spoken, tense with worry, when she first started teaching Zelda the ways of the shadow-walkers. Zelda blocked out the rest of the square completely, focusing on the push-and-pull that had been part of her training, knowing when to counter with her weight and when to travel along with the force that pulled her. She kept her attention on the tense of his muscles, the slight twitch of arm or leg that told her which direction he would move next. And for a brief few moments she let herself go, caught up in memories that for all their sadness also brought back trust.

And then, finally, they stopped. The outside world roared back into her ears and she could see waves of enthusiastic cheering and clapping. Zelda pulled her hands free and fought the urge to wipe them on her dress. She could feel Ganondorf's curious expression upon her for the rest of the feast, but she did not meet his gaze.

* * *

><p>The atmosphere changed considerably later that night. Ganondorf felt stifled in the loose trousers he had chosen, but he had a feeling that a half-dressed man in her bedchamber was alien enough to her.<p>

She sat on one side of the bed, her back to him, picking at the modest nightdress she wore. He could smell her fear, it hung heavy in the air around her shoulders, making the room seem darker than it really was.

He spoke before she could say anything. "You have your half of the bed, and I have mine. Sound fair?"

She turned and stared at him, pupils wide in the darkness. "What? But.."

"Listen. I don't know what the reasoning is with your people, but among mine no man has any right to force a woman into this. I doubt very much that you will suddenly become infertile, or chase other men, or whatever else your people fear if nothing happens tonight." He got into the bed and rolled over as far to one side as possible. "It is late. Get some rest."

She did not move for several minutes. But finally he could hear the creak of springs as she got into the other side of the bed. He could sense her gratefulness in the way that she settled down against the pillow, and once her breathing become steady he drifted off to sleep himself.


	22. Chapter 22

Zelda awoke with a start in the middle of the night, trying to place the vague fear hovering over her until she sensed the presence of another person, and remembered what happened. She inched away from the enormous sleeping body and got out of the bed, standing motionless for a moment on the cold stone floor. The castle stood still and silent save for a gentle breeze in the trees outside, yet some nameless danger still tugged at Zelda's mind.

A raging thirst finally prompted her to enter the bathroom in search of a bowl of spring water. After drinking and splashing a little of it on her face, she brooded for a while, wondering how long she could delay the inevitable. She could not ever remember feeling so alone. Growing up, even in the worst of times, she always had Impa. Antiada tried, but it just wasn't the same. Now with Impa and Link gone, the voice of Farore silenced when she lost her shard of the Triforce, and Hylia's spirit sleeping once again, she was completely alone…

Or perhaps not.

Zelda tensed. There was someone else in the bathroom, and not the man she had left lying in the bed. The servants had been dismissed, the Gerudo ordered not to disturb their King, so who…?

She jumped swiftly to the side, just in time to see the moonlight glint off a thin blade. Someone grunted and swung again, their body obscured by darkness. Zelda scrabbled for a weapon, seizing and tossing aside a comb, a cup, a towel.

"Worthless whore!" a voice hissed, a female voice, distinctly Hylian. Zelda dodged another strike, catching the wrist of her assailant. The woman snarled a curse, punctuated by the unmistakable crack of a deku nut. Zelda shut her eyes a split second too late and cried out as the blinding flash seared her eyes. Instinctively she raised her hands over her face and her heart, expecting to feel the bite of the blade.

Instead a startled yelp reached her ears, along with a scuffle and the gurgling cry of someone being throttled. "Guards!" Zelda cried out, blinking furiously and stumbling toward the door.

Someone grabbed her shoulders and she instinctively lashed out, freezing when she heard the female Gerudo voice. "We are here, Milady!"

"What is it?" Zelda demanded, rubbing her eyes. "Who is here?"

The spots in her vision cleared and she could see five Gerudo standing around her, one with a torch and the rest with scimitars held ready. She followed their gaze as they lowered their weapons.

In the doorway stood Ganondorf, his right hand locked around the throat of a Hylian woman Zelda recognized as a member of one of the lower noble houses. Her eyes were still wide open in terror, her face blue, and she clutched a serrated dagger in one lifeless hand.

"No!" Zelda cried. "What have you done?!"

Ganondorf nearly dropped the body in surprise as Zelda tore it from his hands, sobbing. He stared at her in confusion, hair tousled and eyes still watery from sleep. "What have you done?" she demanded again. "What have you done?"

She could feel the stares of all present as Ganondorf struggled to grasp her reaction. "Milady, certainly attempted regicide is punishable by death in even the most peaceful of kingdoms."

One of the Gerudo stepped forward. "I am to blame for this, My King. I did not believe the Hylians would send in one of their women to attempt something like this. So the female servants' corridors were left unguarded. It is my fault the Queen was in danger. I resign myself to whatever punishment you see fit."

Ganondorf shook his head, turning to look at her. "I had not expected it either, so you are blameless. Doubtless this one had some past experience with the old Shekiah guardians and attempted to take matters into her own hands." He turned back to the body, frowning. "But why? Nothing happened tonight."

"They must simply assume, My King."

"It is my fault," Zelda said suddenly, and all heads turned to her. "All of it."

His brows knotted in puzzlement, Ganondorf motioned for the guards to leave them. He caught one by the arm, and told her in a low voice, "Bring back something for the Queen to calm her."

As the guards scurried off, he kneeled down beside Zelda. "You are not to blame for this, either," he said softly. "Only a complete fool attempts to rule a kingdom without making some enemies. I apologize if you had wanted to arrange some kind of trial first, but you have to admit that the outcome would have been the same in the end…"

"You don't understand." Zelda wiped the tears from her eyes, only to have more take their place. "Everything that's happened…from Link's death onward…it's because I made a mistake somewhere."

"Really, Zelda, this is too much. Even if you were as wise as Nayru herself, you could hardly expect to…"

"No!" Zelda stood. "You don't understand. You can't understand. I put all of this together –as Hylia. And now it's falling apart. And I can't fix it, because there isn't enough of Hylia left in me…" She buried her face in her hands.

Ganondorf said nothing for a few moments as he searched for a sheet to cover the body. After doing so, he gently took Zelda by the arm. "Please, explain it to me, and I will try to understand. Come." He led her back to the bed, and she sat down on the edge.

"I planned this all," she said at last, speaking more to the floor than to him. "I knew that she – Hylia – I – would need some sort of protection in the body of the Spirit Maiden, without the powers of a Goddess. So I – she- built the Royal Family as protection. Do you see? If Hylia's spirit remains within the same bloodline, she is guaranteed a safe place. The Royal Family is the guardian of the realm of Hyrule, and the gateway to the Sacred Realm. The castle, the Shekiah, the worship of the Royal Family by the people – these were all put in place to safeguard Hylia's spirit."

"So you are upset that I killed the would-be assassin, because she didn't know any better," Ganondorf said as the guard returned with a cup full of a silvery-tinged mixture. "Here, drink this. It is a mixture of calming herbs."

Zelda took it, but didn't drink from it. "But there's more. I can only remember bits and pieces of Hylia. That's why I planned everything ahead of time – there was very little the Spirit Maiden could know about her past. It pains Hylia too much to remember – you saw that. But this way…this way I had left things in place so that there would be ways to fight the Darkness without remembering. And yet…"

She looked down in surprise at the cup in her hands, if she had only just noticed it. Taking a slow sip, she said, "But all that…it's ruined now. I knew something had gone horribly wrong when Link died. He was supposed to win. I had my servant train me for seven years so that I could lead him to victory. But I failed…somehow. And it must have been…it must have been because of the tainted bloodline."

"I fail to see the connection," said Ganondorf. "You purged Demise from me without assistance from any Shekiah or Heroes."

"No! This is what you don't understand! Even I don't fully understand it, and that's the problem!" She turned on him with wild eyes. "The royal bloodline was Hylia's method of protection. If it was broken, that means I must have done something wrong, in one of my former lives as the Spirit Maiden. And there's not enough of Hylia left to figure out what went wrong, and fix it!"

She grasped his wrist, sharp nails digging into his flesh. "The three entrusted the Triforce to my care, don't you see? The Royal Family, the Temple of Time, all of those things were devised by Hylia to protect it! And now those protections are failing, and the very fate of the world is question! All because of me!"

He gently extricated her hand from her wrist and placed it around the cup. "Please, drink, Zelda. If you are distraught like this it will only make the problem harder to solve."

She did so, draining the entire cup in one gulp and gasping for breath. "But it's worse than that. So much worse…I promised him, promised him that he could finally rest. He aided me twice. The first time resulted in his death. The second drained both of us to the point that we did not live long after. I promised him it would be different next time. That we could live together afterward in peace, and I could finally repay him for all that he had done for me…but I failed him…and…he…he died…trying…to help me…again…"

She pushed the empty cup aside and burst into sobs once more. Ganondorf could get nothing more out of her. As the potion began to take effect, he bade her lie back in the bed and covered her with the blankets. He called the guards back in to remove the body, instructing them to hide it so that whatever companions she'd had could not be certain of her fate.

"Has the Queen softened your resolve, My King?" one of the Gerudo asked. "Surely putting the body on display would deter any others from attempting the same."

He frowned at her. "More likely it would spark some kind of rebellion," he told her. "What the Queen wants has nothing to do with it. It's no good starting a fight without knowing who and where your enemies are. You should know that." Admonished, the guards bowed and left.

Ganondorf sat on the bed next to the sleeping Queen, unable to shake the memory of her crying over the boy's body. At the time he had thought it nothing more than some childish romantic sentiment. He'd never imagined there would be so much more, that a Goddess could owe such a debt. And that he could be the one who stood in the way of paying it.

The image stayed with him for the rest of the night.


	23. Chapter 23

Ganondorf awoke the next morning to find Zelda gone. He automatically called out to his sisters guarding the room outside. "Where is the Queen?!"

Startled, they looked at each other and then at him. "She dressed and left for the throne room an hour ago, my King. Have you been asleep all this time?"

He glanced outside and the angle of the sun told him that he had indeed overslept. Grumbling, he dismissed the guards and headed back to the washroom to clean up. Once properly dressed for an audience, he stomped through the corridors until he reached the throne room. So preoccupied was he that he did not notice the tension in the air until he pushed open the doors, sending the guard scrambling to the sides.

The entire court turned at the bang of the doors, save Zelda who merely glanced up from the floor, where two older noblemen kneeled with foreheads nearly pressing the floor. "So good of you to join us, my King," she said flatly.

To Ganondorf's surprise, the court turned as one back to the throne, or rather to the two kneeling men. As if both his lateness and entrance itself was secondary to whatever was going on before he came. No one spoke a word as he strode to his side of the dais, merely waiting for him to take his seat so that the scene he had interrupted could restart.

Once seated, he turned to Zelda, who had set her gaze back upon the two men the moment after greeting him. To him she seemed carved in granite, unusually still, leaning slightly forward with the narrowed eyes he was so used to seeing trained on him.

At her signal, a page standing next to Zelda handed her a thin book with a blank cover, the type used for writing memoirs. She held it up for the kneeling men to see. "Do you know what this is?" The condescending tone in her voice startled Ganondorf, and the men on the floor flinched as they looked up.

"It is the diary of my late great-aunt, your Highness," the man on the right squeaked.

"And of my grandmother," the other added in a tiny voice.

"Let's take a look at it, shall we?" Zelda said as she opened the book. She flicked the pages idly as the two men squirmed on the carpet, casting each other furtive glances. "Let's see what such an esteemed member of the royal court had to say. Such a distinguished, high-born member."

"Here we are." Ganondorf nearly fell over as Zelda assumed a reedy soprano. "'The young servant covertly entered the back room as had bid, and my excitement began to rise as I saw he carried the tools I had requested. I could smell his earthy flesh from the far side of the room, oh how I craved it! As he began to…'"

Somebody in the back of the room stifled a snort of nervous laughter. Amid the shuffling and turning heads one of the men raised his face from the floor. "P…please Your Highness…"

Zelda looked up from the book with a raised eyebrow. In a voice so soft only the two unfortunates and Ganondorf could hear, she said, "Perhaps you would prefer that His Highness deal out the usual punishment for treason?"

"N-no! Please accept my thanks for your mercy…"

So these men were in some way related to their previous night's visitor, whom had apparently claimed this soon-to-be-disgraced lady of the court as an ancestor. A creative punishment, particularly considering the dead woman's assessment of Zelda's own character. Zelda read through a full five pages, taking on comical voices for both the woman and her servant, and spitting out sarcasm in between. Toward the end the audience could not stop its giggles and exploded with outright laughter. Ganondorf could not blame them. The author was hardly a talented scribe.

Finally Zelda slammed the book shut and tossed it on the floor before the two nobles, one of which quickly plucked it up and hid it in his robes. Addressing the whole room, Zelda said, "Much of this castle's history has been lost in numerous wars, but since we Hylians place so much import on lineage, it is always easy to find information of any kind on anyone's ancestors." She turned back to the men on the floor. "I would consider this before attempting to pass judgment with blades. You are dismissed."

They rose and turned tail as quickly as they could while maintaining some small shred of dignity.

"Clever," Ganondorf said to her as titters rose from the court. "It appears that even as I adapt to your ways, you have adapted to mine."

"I know," she said without emotion. "I hate it."

* * *

><p>"But my King, you are needed here!" Antiada pleaded with him as he readied his horse.<p>

"Can't be helped," Ganondorf muttered. "She's still angry over the turn fate has taken. And I can't say I blame her. So now there's only one thing left to be done."

"But none of us have heard his soul's voice since he died! Not even the most talented of our seers! For all practical purposes, his spirit has moved on."

"I have to try," he said as he mounted his horse. "It's the least I can do."

* * *

><p>Ganondorf had never liked the Lost Woods. No Gerudo did. It was an overabundance of the lushness they craved, a deep well of treacle where a mere sugar cube would have sufficed. There was something growing out of everything, even plants feeding off other plants, and Ganondorf often had the feeling that he too would start sprouting leaves and tendrils if he stayed too long.<p>

The Forest Temple was the oldest of the holy places, aside from the door to the Sacred Realm. Before the Gorons had settled down, before the Shekiah had retreated to the shadows, before the Zora had learned to speak, and long before the Gerudo had crossed the Wasteland, the Temple had been built by the first generation of Hylians.

No monsters greeted his entrance. His ties to Demise cut, his presence no longer attracted them. But the more sentient dark beings could sense his connections to fell spells. As he walked into the main entryway, the four Poe Sisters emerged from their flames. "Apprentice of the Darkness…what do you seek here?" they asked as one.

"The Center," he replied simply.

"We shall light the way for you," the red one said as her sisters trailed behind. None of them said anything more during the long walk through the temple. Poes were not known for their conversation. They left him at the entrance to the Center, the place where the temple priestess would have lived when it was first built, the place where he knew Zelda had left the boy's body.

It was not there.

Puzzled, he looked around in consternation. Nothing would have dared enter and carry it off. Yet he could see no remains of any kind, just the enormous Triforce laid out in tile on the floor.

"I thought you might come."

Startled, he turned to see the ghost of a small girl. She sat hanging in the air at his eye level, her hands folded in her lap. She regarded him with large eyes that knew the man before her was responsible for her own death, and yet he could not see any accusation within them. Only a vague sadness.

He bowed slightly. "Sage of Forest."

She did not address him, merely looking through him with those huge eyes. "He's gone, you know," she said softly. "He has passed on."

His heart sank. "I see," he said at last. "Then there is no point in my staying here. I will cause you no more trouble." Ganondorf turned to leave.

"You came to beg his forgiveness."

Ganondorf halted.

"Why?"

He said nothing for a few moments. The Sage did not seem to mind waiting. "Not for my benefit, but for the Queen Zelda. She blames herself for his death, and cannot move on, even though it is my hands that are stained with his blood."

The ghost's transparent feet touched the floor of the temple, and she looked up at him with kind eyes. "He does not blame Zelda for his death. He failed in his life's mission, and so he has gone back to the Sacred Realm to wait, for the next opportunity."

Ganondorf's brows furrowed. "I don't understand."

With a little sigh, the Sage explained, "He was raised among us, the Kokiri, so he saw the world as a Kokiri did. Here there is both light and darkness. To those born here there is life in abundance. But punishments are harsh for those that would defile it. Link grew up watching the poachers turn into Stalfos. He grew up knowing that the hawk kills only for its own survival. He grew up knowing that all things that live must die. He grew up knowing that we Kokiri never age because we are not fully alive."

Startled, Ganondorf said, "That is news to me."

"It is true. It is why we are not complete without a fairy. They are our life force. We were not created by a Goddess, but by the Deku Tree. He is very old and knows much, but he is no god. He cannot create true life."

"Why did he speak the way he did to Zelda?" Ganondorf asked. "I would not have expected someone of his – stature – to call her such names."

"The seed of the Deku Tree was planted by Hylia," the Sage explained. "She told him her plan. To him, Zelda is merely a vine that refuses to grow the way it was trained."

"It still seems a little harsh."

"As I said, he is very old, and the lifetime of a mortal is nothing to him. Please do not fault the Deku Tree for his words. Hylia impressed upon him the importance of his plan."

Ganondorf sighed. "I don't really care about him, but regardless, I must still return from here empty-handed. If only I had something to give her…"

To his surprise, the Sage smiled. "There is something here that could help. Something that would trigger Hylia's memories within her."

His expression brightened, then dulled again. "From what she tells me, Hylia isn't particularly fond of having her memories triggered."

"Come, I will show you. It has been hidden for a long time, waiting for the right moment." She walked through one of the walls, and he hesitated. "There is another room on the other side," she explained, poking her head out. "You know the simple magic for passing through, do you not?"

"Of course." He passed through the stone wall, and blinked in surprise as two torches on either side of the small room burst into flame. It was barely sixteen feet square, and his head brushed the ceiling. There was no decoration save for a small stone box on the other side, under the torches.

"Here is a relic of the ancient times, a possession belonging to one of those who befriended Zelda's first incarnation." The Sage motioned toward the box.

Ganondorf lifted the cover. "The first Hero?"

"No. Not the Hero, yet someone without whom the Hero could not have completed his quest."

"A Shekiah, then." Ganondorf gently lifted a small beaded necklace from the box, small enough to be a mere bracelet for him, though slightly bigger than most Hylians wore. Immediately he noticed the odd makeup of the beads, not metal, ceramic, wood, or stone. In fact, rolling it between his fingers, he determined it to be some sort of chitin-like substance, similar to the carapaces of the scarabs back in the desert – flattened and then rolled to make beads. He frowned at it as he realized he could sense no presence of magic. "No, not a Shekiah. It's completely ordinary…nothing special about it at all."

"Not the relic itself, no." The sage admitted. "It is indeed as ordinary as any small bauble that any person of no consequence might wear. And the person who owned it did not possess any magic power, either. Yet he was essential to both the Hero and Zelda's first incarnation."

"Who was he?"

"His name has been lost to Time – but he was originally an adversary of the Hero. And yet when dire times entered their lives, he was essential in helping him fulfill his mission."

Ganondorf examined the colorful necklace, almost lost in his huge hand. "And this will bring Zelda a memory of Hylia that she won't push away?"

The Sage nodded. "Go now, and show that to her. Let her remember that there are more than Heroes at her side, that destiny is not the defined path that she believes it to be."

* * *

><p>Zelda's arms were crossed, her eyes dulled. "I could have told you he would not be there," she said as soon as Ganondorf showed his face in the castle. "Antiada told me where you went. I would have already gone there several times over if I'd thought it would help. He…" Her eyes misted over, and she turned away. "He's gone. Until the next time."<p>

"The Forest Sage asked me to give you this." Ganondorf held out the necklace. "She said it would help."

"Saria is still there?" Zelda turned back, brows furrowed in worry, and took the offered gift. She frowned at it for a while, and then suddenly recognition dawned in her eyes. "This was…oh…"

Zelda sat in the nearest chair, bringing her free hand to her face. "I can't believe I forgot…how cruel of me…"

"Who was he?" Ganondorf demanded, wondering if Saria had done further damage.

But when Zelda wiped the tears away she was smiling. "Groose…he was a friend of ours. He was…smitten with one of my previous incarnations. Angry that I had already chosen my champion. But it wasn't just a passing fancy. He braved great trials to help me…he had talents that no one else did." She glanced back up at Ganondorf, and he could tell that he was seeing someone else when she looked at him. "When Demise's agent struck the Hero down, it was just for a few moments, but in that short time Groose stepped between the servant and his path back to his master. Even though he was only a mortal that could have been scattered with a touch. It bought us just enough time…and that was only one of the things he did."

Ganondorf said nothing as she fingered the necklace. Sometimes silence was more appropriate than any words.

Zelda regarded him once more, and Ganondorf could see something in her face that had not been there before. "Would you…I know this is a bit strange to ask, but would you wear this for me? To…remind me. That I have more allies than the ones hand-picked by Hylia. And that they are not always where I would expect to look."

"It's a little small for me." He held out his wrist. "Here…put it there."

He waited as small hands clasped the necklace around his wrist, lingering slightly. She glanced back up at him, and this time she did not flinch from his gaze. "Thank you…it is hard for me to explain, but…Saria was right. It is very helpful. Thank you."


	24. Chapter 24

"Absolutely not!"

"I'm not asking your permission," Zelda snapped as she wrapped the new white cloths around her hands, the Shekiah dagger already tied to her back. With Hylia's Lyre long gone, she had to make her transformation the hard way. "I'm just giving you notice."

"Are you mad?" Ganondorf demanded, his voice echoing off the walls. "Go to the Training Ground? When we say that every Gerudo living has completed the trials, we mean that the ones who did not are dead!"

"I had seven years of training hiding in plain sight from a despot intent on hunting me down. I'll be fine."

Ganondorf ignored that. "Your place is here, dealing with these infernal court matters. I forbid you to leave!"

Her head snapped upward and she stared him down surprisingly well for someone a good few feet shorter. "So, is this what it is going to be like? You command, and I obey? I could have simply handed myself over to one of my father's suitors if that is what I wanted."

He sputtered, flustered, angry that she would choose THAT particular argument. "This is not a simple task! We would spend weeks memorizing the layout of the grounds and the threats within – you would be going in unprepared! Why in the name of the gods do you insist on doing this, anyway?"

Zelda turned away from him, making a last check of the healing potions in the small pack on the bed. "All of the old reasons for doing what I did, for being who I was, have been overturned in the past several months. I need to define my own path, one that doesn't follow Hylia's."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes you do." She spun back to face him, her eyes traveling from Groose's necklace on his wrist back up to him. "You had your turn, forsaking your original role by going off to beg Link's forgiveness."

He blinked, stunned. "I didn't…"

"You cannot hide from Wisdom." She shouldered her pack.

"A hypocritical statement, given you just got done stating that you had no more ties to your past role. Do you have any idea how irresponsible this is?" He demanded, his voice pattering behind her as she stalked down the hall. "The sole heir of the throne going off to certain death, because of some personal vendetta against her past life?"

Her head jerked back and her eyes cut through him. "You don't believe I have the ability to do it. Even after all this time."

"I am saying it is not worth the risk," he insisted, trying to calm both her and himself down. "The upheaval of Hyrule has hardly ended. You cannot just go wandering off like…like…"

"Like you did?"

He stared down at her, his jaw set, she doing the same. They stood like that, neither one wavering, for several moments, waiting for the other to back down.

Finally, Ganondorf exhaled loudly, stepping back slightly but not breaking his gaze. "You should at least bring Antiada and Grandmother Mitari along. No, don't argue!" He raised his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. "You need someone waiting outside. Just because we all survived, doesn't mean we all came through without a scratch. It happened to the best of us."

He bent slightly, showing her a long, thin scar on the side of his neck.

Her expression softened ever so slightly. "Understood," she said, and turned to go.

"One last thing," he added. "What am I supposed to tell them?"

She gave him a look he couldn't translate, then made a grim smile. "Oh, I'm sure they'll come up with a reason they'll stick to even if you give them one. While I'm gone, they'll likely think that I'm just being hidden away because I'm pregnant."

"But-"

"And then once I've returned to the court, it will be because I lost the baby."

His face twisted in disbelief. "Is that really the only-"

She sighed and gave him a pitying look. "How long now have you been King? How long were you at court before you overthrew the last one?"

"Must you always bring that up!" he demanded, indignant. "I will always owe you debts that I can never repay. If there was something, anything at all, that I could do about your father-"

"Enough," she said so sharply that he glared at her, then realized that her ire wasn't directed at him. "You did nothing to my father. What you did was against the King of Hyrule, and rightly so." Seeing his puzzled look, she added, "My father loved me and listened to me. The King of Hyrule did not. And it is because of him that I lost my father."

They were both quiet for several moments. "Is that how you…see it?" he asked at last. "That they were…two different people?"

"How could I not?" she said bitterly, with a hint of sadness. "My father loved to hear my voice. He would ask me to sing, in the gardens, in the few moments that he was able to spend with me. But the King of Hyrule wouldn't listen, even when I told him it could cost him his life."

Silence. For several moments, the only sound was the faint laughter of Gerudo children from one of the far rooms down the hall. Finally, Ganondorf said, "I hope that you can find what you seek."

"Thank you," she said, and looked as if she wanted to say more; instead, she simply turned and walked away.

He didn't answer, but watched her leave, hands clenched until she was gone.

* * *

><p>"Sire, an ambassador from Holodrum has arrived, requesting to speak with you."<p>

Ganondorf's head jerked up from the tome he had been reading in the relative solitude of the King's Study. Who? Ambassador to what? "Someone requests an audience with the King?"

The young Hylian page wrung his hands as he stuttered. Zelda had insisted that they employ more of her people, and he had agreed even though he found them exasperating. "Actually, sire, he wished to speak with the Queen, but I told him that, er, he could have an audience with the King…"

"Enough blathering. This ambassador, he has travelled far?"

"Oh yes, through the mountain pass, he looks a terrible fright and his horse seems lame…"

"Then get him and his horse some food and a place to rest. Unless it's an emergency, we might as well let him recover, it'll be a long way back for him once his business is finished."

"Oh – oh of course!" the page smiled wide as if he were the one being given a holiday. Obviously he'd assumed the Gerudo King would refuse to see the visitor entirely. "Right away, your Highness!"

That should buy me some time, Ganondorf thought as the page scampered down the hall. Fretfully he began hunting for a map of the outer borders. Ganondorf had never paid much attention to Hyrule's neighbors; the special blessings of the Goddesses had been the only thing that concerned him. Of the four countries – Hyrule, Labrynna, Ordon, and Holodrum - Hyrule was by far the most powerful. Ambassadors usually only came to the Hyrulean court when they wanted to ask favors. In addition, the high mountains, dangerous forest and impassable desert made it nearly impossible to visit at all. They certainly would not have come calling seven years ago, when he was busy tearing the place apart.

He found Holodrum on the map. It was a long, skinny country that sat wedged between the Goron Mountains and a large sea. He stared at it for a few moments, then realized that the outline of its borders wasn't going to tell him much. He left the map on the desk and stomped down to the library, Hylian servants scattering in his wake.

He stared around the library, absently taking down a book and putting it back in place. Where to start? The books that survived the Seven Years' War in his memory would likely only mention the foreign countries in passing. Going through every book, even the piteously small collection that remained, would take months or even years.

"You there!" he snapped at a passing scribe, who nearly dropped his books in surprise and fear. "Have you been studying the relations of Hyrule with its neighbors?"

"Oh – oh yes, sire!" he stammered, standing at attention as if being called upon in school; believing the King was testing him, not desperate for information.

"You will meet me in five minutes in the King's Study. You will not breathe a word to anyone where you are going and what you are doing. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes, your Highness!"

"Good." Ganondorf turned back on his heel and stomped back to his study, leaving the terrified scribe to pick up his papers off the floor.


End file.
